Monitoring Bone Disease with Urinary Markers
Author Information
Author(s): R.E. Coleman, S. Houston, I. James, A. Rodger, R.D. Rubens, R.C.F. Leonard, J. Ford
Primary Institution: Department of Clinical Oncology, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh
Hypothesis
Can urinary excretion of pyridinium crosslinks effectively monitor metastatic bone disease in breast cancer patients?
Conclusion
Urinary excretion of pyridinoline and deoxypyridinoline is elevated in patients with bone metastases and decreases with treatment using pamidronate.
Supporting Evidence
- 80% of patients had elevated urinary markers before treatment.
- Urinary excretion of all three indices of bone resorption fell significantly during treatment.
- The median values after 4 weeks treatment were significantly lower than baseline.
Takeaway
Doctors can check urine for special markers to see how well treatment is working for patients with bone cancer.
Methodology
Twenty women with bone metastases from breast cancer were treated with oral pamidronate for 4 weeks, and urinary markers were measured before and during treatment.
Limitations
The study is preliminary and involved a small sample size, limiting the generalizability of the findings.
Participant Demographics
Twenty women with bone metastases from breast cancer.
Statistical Information
P-Value
<0.001
Statistical Significance
p<0.001
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