Anti-calcium drug blocks cervical cancer in mice

Treatment with Zometa (zoledronic acid), a drug used to reduce high calcium levels, can block the development of cervical cancer in mice, according to a report in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Because the mouse type of cancer resembles the kind seen in humans, lead author Dr. Douglas Hanahan and colleagues, from the University of California, San Francisco, consider Zometa a promising treatment for cervical cancer and related diseases.

In their studies, Zometa blocked blood vessel formation in the early growths that progress to cervical cancer as well in the cancer itself. Without adequate blood supply, these growths are essentially stopped dead in their tracks.

Based on Zometa's ability to inhibit early lesions and given its track record of safety, the authors suggest that it might be useful in preventing disease recurrence in high-risk women who have undergone surgery.

Also, with its ability to interfere with established cervical cancers, perhaps Zometa could become a standard treatment for this disease, the authors note. Clearly, more study is needed, they add.

SOURCE: Journal of Clinical Investigation, September 2004.