The Summary To test the hypothesis that during treatment with denosumab osteomorphs and precursors recycle to higher number of osteoclasts with time, we measured TRAcP5b in serum taken 6 months... Show moreThe Summary To test the hypothesis that during treatment with denosumab osteomorphs and precursors recycle to higher number of osteoclasts with time, we measured TRAcP5b in serum taken 6 months after the last injection in postmenopausal women treated for 1-10 years. Serum TRAcP5b values were not related to time of exposure to denosumab.Purpose In women with postmenopausal osteoporosis the aetiology of the observed inverse relationship between duration of denosumab (Dmab) therapy and bone loss after its discontinuation is currently unknown. In studies in mice inhibition of RANKL is associated with an increase in osteomorphs and osteoclast precursors that recycle into osteoclasts and may accumulate with time. We hypothesized that longer inhibition of RANKL by Dmab will be followed by the synchronous formation of a larger number of osteoclasts after stopping treatment. To test this hypothesis, we measured serum TRAcP5b, a marker of osteoclast numbers, in postmenopausal women treated with Dmab for different periods of time up to 10 years.Methods TRAcP5b, C-terminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen (CTX) and procollagen type 1 N-terminal propeptide (P1NP) were measured at 6.0 months +/- 15 days after last Dmab injection in 59 women who had received Dmab for 4.0 +/- 2.3 years (range 1-10 years). Of these, 38 were treatment naive (group 1) and 21 had received other treatments prior Dmab (group 2).Results Duration of Dmab treatment was not related to serum TRAcP5b values or to TRAcP5b/CTX ratio either in the whole cohort or in each of the two groups separately. In contrast, serum TRAcP5b values were significantly correlated with serum CTX values (r(s) = 0.619; p < 0.001), but not with serum P1NP values or BMD at all skeletal sites.Conclusion Our observations indicate that serum TRAcP5b, measured at 6 months after a Dmab injection, is not a useful early marker for time-dependent increased accumulation of osteoclasts in humans and for identification of patients at risk for a higher rebound increase in bone resorption. Show less
The long-term effects of zoledronate treatment in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis who stop denosumab therapy when they become osteopenic are not known. In a prospective, randomized,... Show moreThe long-term effects of zoledronate treatment in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis who stop denosumab therapy when they become osteopenic are not known. In a prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial we previously reported that a single intravenous infusion of zoledronate 5 mg given to such patients 6 months after the last denosumab injection effectively prevents bone loss in the majority of them for up to 3 years. The study was extended for an additional 2 years and included all 19 patients from one Trial Site of the total 27 patients originally randomized in the zoledronate arm. Baseline characteristics of this cohort treated with denosumab for 2.4 & PLUSMN; 0.2 years were not different from those of the whole initial cohort or from the patients who did not participate in this extension. At the end of 5 years 7 patients had become again osteoporotic requiring additional treatment, 9 remained osteopenic while 3 did not complete the study extension. Thus, more than half of the osteoporotic women who became osteopenic with denosumab treatment and stopped it, maintained the BMD gains 5 years after a single zoledronate infusion with no additional treatment. Whether these results are also applicable to patients treated with denosumab for longer periods remains to be established. Show less
Makras, P.; Appelman-Dijkstra, N.M.; Papapoulos, S.E.; Wissen, S. van; Winter, E.M.; Polyzos, S.A.; ... ; Anastasilakis, A.D. 2021
Context: Zoledronate is used to prevent bone loss following denosumab discontinuation but its efficacy differs among studies.Objective: To test if the duration of denosumab treatment affects the... Show moreContext: Zoledronate is used to prevent bone loss following denosumab discontinuation but its efficacy differs among studies.Objective: To test if the duration of denosumab treatment affects the efficacy of subsequent zoledronate infusion.Methods: This multicenter, prospective cohort study, conducted at 2 Greek and 1 Dutch bone centers, included 47 postmenopausal women (n=47) who received a single zoledronate infusion 6 months after the last denosumab injection and then were followed for 1 year. Twenty-seven women received <= 6 denosumab injections (<= 6 Group) and 20 received>6 denosumab injections (> 6 Group). The main outcome measure was changes in lumbar spine (LS) bone mineral density (BMD).Results: At 12 months LS-BMD values were maintained in the <= 6 Group (0.980.10 to 0.99 +/- 0.9 g/cm(2), P=0.409) but decreased significantly in the>6 Group (1.0 +/- 0.11 to 0.93 +/- 0.12 g/cm(2), P<0.001). The percent change of LS-BMD of the <= 6 Group (+1.0%) was significantly different (P<0.001) from the change of the>6 Group (-7.0%). In the whole cohort, the duration of denosumab treatment was negatively correlated with the percentage change of LS-BMD (r(s) = -0.669, P<0.001) but not with the change of femoral neck (FN)-BMD. Bone turnover markers increased in all patients 6 months following zoledronate administration with no difference between the 2 groups.Conclusion: The duration of denosumab treatment significantly affects the efficacy of subsequent zoledronate infusion to maintain BMD gains. Frequent follow-up of patients treated with denosumab longer than 3 years is advisable as additional therapeutic interventions may be needed. Show less
Primary osteoporosis is rare in children and adolescents and its optimal pharmacological management is uncertain. Bisphosphonates are commonly used while denosumab has only been administered to a... Show morePrimary osteoporosis is rare in children and adolescents and its optimal pharmacological management is uncertain. Bisphosphonates are commonly used while denosumab has only been administered to a few children with osteogenesis imperfecta. We studied a treatment-naive 13.5-year-old boy with severe osteoporosis and multiple vertebral deformities who presented with back pain and difficulty in walking. Causes of secondary osteoporosis were excluded and there were no abnormalities in genes known to cause bone fragility. He was treated with denosumab 60 mg subcutaneously every 3 months for 30 months, and he was pain-free within 6 weeks after the first injection. Lumbar spine BMD and femoral neck BMD increased with treatment by 65.6% and 25.3%, respectively, and deformed vertebrae regained their normal shape; linear growth was not impaired. During the second year of treatment, transient hypercalcemia (maximum 3.09 mmol/l) before the denosumab injection was observed. In conclusion, denosumab was highly effective in this case of primary pediatric osteoporosis, with remarkable clinical and radiological response. Transient hypercalcemia was probably due to amplification of the effect of growth spurt and puberty on bone remodeling by the transient, short-term discontinuation of the drug. Furthermore, our data suggest that mobilization of calcium from treatment-induced sclerotic transverse lines in bone metaphyses may contribute to the development of hypercalcemia. Show less
Discontinuation of denosumab treatment is associated with rapid bone loss that could be prevented in many patients by zoledronate (ZOL) infusion given 6 months after the last denosumab injection.... Show moreDiscontinuation of denosumab treatment is associated with rapid bone loss that could be prevented in many patients by zoledronate (ZOL) infusion given 6 months after the last denosumab injection. The effects, however, of zoledronate administration at a later time point are unknown. We aimed to compare the 1-year effect of ZOL infusion given 6 versus 18 months following the last Dmab injection. In this extension of a previously reported 2-year randomized clinical trial, we included initially treatment-naive postmenopausal women, who became osteopenic after approximately 2.5 years of denosumab therapy, and were subjected to a single ZOL infusion at 6 months (early-ZOL, n = 27) versus 18 months (late-ZOL, n = 15) after the last Dmab injection. Annual changes in lumbar spine (LS) and femoral neck (FN) bone mineral density (BMD), and markers of bone turnover (P1NP, CTx) at 6 and 12 months following ZOL infusion were assessed. LS BMD was maintained in both early-ZOL (+ 1.7%) and late-ZOL (+ 1.8%) infusion with no difference between groups (p = 0.949). FN BMD was maintained in early-ZOL (+ 0.1%) and increased in late-ZOL (+ 3.4%) infusion with no difference between groups (p = 0.182). Compared to 6 months after last Dmab injection, the overall LS BMD change of the late-ZOL group (- 3.5%) was significantly different (p = 0.007) from that of the early-ZOL group (+ 1.7%). P1NP and CTx gradually increased in the early-ZOL group, while profoundly decreased and remained suppressed in the late-ZOL infusion. A ZOL infusion 18 months following the last Dmab injection is still useful in terms of BMD maintenance and BTM suppression. However, there is no clear clinical benefit compared to the early infusion, while any theoretical advantage is counterbalanced from the expected bone loss, especially at the LS, and the risk of rebound-associated fractures. Trial Registration: NCT02499237; July 16, 2015 Show less
Introduction: In women with postmenopausal osteoporosis denosumab discontinuation is associated with rapid bone loss that could be potentially prevented by a single zoledronate infusion for two... Show moreIntroduction: In women with postmenopausal osteoporosis denosumab discontinuation is associated with rapid bone loss that could be potentially prevented by a single zoledronate infusion for two years. The longer-term effects, however, of zoledronate treatment are unknown. We aimed to study the effect of a single zoledronate infusion during the third year following denosumab discontinuation, in initially treatment-naive postmenopausal women who became osteopenic after 2.4 +/- 0.2 years of denosumab therapy.Methods: We report the 1-year follow-up results of a single arm observational extension of a previously reported 2-year multicenter prospective randomized clinical trial. The primary endpoint of this extension was the change in lumbar spine bone mineral density (LS-BMD); secondary endpoints were changes in femoral neck (FN)-BMD and markers of bone turnover (BTM) during the 3rd year from the zoledronate infusion. Changes are presented as mean and SEM.Results: LS-BMD did not change significantly at year 3 compared to year 2 (-1.35 +/- 1.1%, p = 1.00) and compared to baseline ( -1.96 +/- 1.44%, p = 1.00). FN-BMD values did not change while serum P1NP values decreased and CTX values remained unchanged during the third-year of the follow-up. In 4 of the 23 studied women BMD values returned to the osteoporotic range at 3 years.Conclusions: A single i.v. infusion of zoledronate 5 mg, given 6 months after the last injection of denosumab therapy maintains for three years BMD gains in the majority of patients previously treated with denosumab for an approximate period of 2.5 years. Follow-up of patients is, however, recommended because about one-fifth of treated women will require additional antiosteoporotic treatment. Show less
Cessation of denosumab treatment is associated with increases in bone turnover above baseline values and rapid bone loss. We investigated the efficacy of zoledronate to prevent this bone loss in... Show moreCessation of denosumab treatment is associated with increases in bone turnover above baseline values and rapid bone loss. We investigated the efficacy of zoledronate to prevent this bone loss in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis who were treated with denosumab (mean duration 2.2 years) and discontinued treatment after achieving osteopenia. Women were randomized to receive a single 5-mg infusion of zoledronate (ZOL) (n = 27) or two additional 60-mg injections of denosumab (Dmab) (n = 30). Both groups were followed for a total period of 24 months. At 24 months lumbar spine-bone mineral density (LS-BMD) was not different from baseline in the ZOL group, but decreased in the Dmab group by (mean +/- SD) 4.82% +/- 0.7% (p < 0.001) from the 12-month value; the difference in BMD changes between the two groups, the primary endpoint of the study, was statistically significant (p = 0.025). Results of femoral neck (FN)-BMD changes were similar. ZOL infusion was followed by small but significant increases in serum procollagen type 1 N-terminal propeptide (P1NP) and C-terminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen (CTX) during the first year and stabilization thereafter. In the Dmab group, bone turnover marker values did not change during the first 12 months but increased significantly at 15 months and in the majority of women these remained elevated at 24 months. Neither baseline nor 12-month bone turnover marker values were associated with BMD changes in either group of women. In the Dmab group, three patients sustained vertebral fractures (two patients multiple clinical, one patient morphometric) whereas one patient in the ZOL group sustained clinical vertebral fractures 12 months after the infusion. In conclusion, a single intravenous infusion of ZOL given 6 months after the last Dmab injection prevents bone loss for at least 2 years independently of the rate of bone turnover. Follow-up is recommended, because in a few patients ZOL treatment might not have the expected effect at 2 years. (c) 2019 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research. Show less
