2016 Volume 53 Issue 5 Pages 474-476
Bisphosphonates (BPs) have been increasingly used in pediatric patients recently; however, they have not been established as safe and effective drugs for children undergoing chemotherapy. We report the cases of 3 patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), who were administered BPs during maintenance chemotherapy. They were diagnosed as having ALL at 3 (relapsed at 9), 11, and 16 years of age, and with osteopenia at 11 (during second remission), 13, and 19 years of age, respectively. They had taken a BP (alendronate at 35 mg or risedronate at 17.5 mg) orally once a week for 30 to 72 months without any adverse effect. For two patients, their Z-scores improved from –2.4 to 0.2 and –3.7 to –1.4. All the patients completed chemotherapy and maintained a complete remission for 3 to over 5 years. BPs could be given safely during chemotherapy for ALL without affecting its outcome.
