Fosamax for Childhood Cancer Survivors

• Status: Unknown status
• Trial end date: 2008-10-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

Survivors of childhood cancers face a variety of long-term problems. The investigators' recent study found that osteoporosis and osteopenia were common among these patients. The factors leading to, as well as the best treatment option for, this morbidity are unclear. Bisphosphonates are currently the standard therapy for osteoporosis in the elderly. However, the efficacy and safety of bisphosphonates for treating osteoporosis in long-term cancer survivors have not been tested. The investigators hypothesize that alendronate, an orally active bisphosphonate, is efficacious and safe in the treatment of osteoporosis in these patients.

• Phase: Phase 3
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: No

Details

• Lead Sponsor: Chinese University of Hong Kong
• Treatments: Alendronate; Diphosphonates

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Chinese patients who completed treatments for childhood cancers for at least 5 years

• Currently followed up in the Department of Paediatrics of Prince of Wales Hospital

• Younger than 18 years old at the time of diagnosis of underlying cancers

• Evidence of osteoporosis (i.e. BMD T- or Z-score < -2.5 at lumbar spine)

• Older than 15 years of age at the time of recruitment

Exclusion Criteria:

• Current treatment (i.e. within 6 months) with maintenance systemic or high-dose inhaled corticosteroids

• Subjects who cannot cooperate for BMD measurements

• Pregnant female patients

• Subjects with prior history of allergy to alendronate or in whom alendronate treatment is contraindicated