A consultation between a senior patient and female healthcare professional

Bone drugs to reduce risk of breast cancer spreading

A survey exploring patient understanding of why they have been offered bisphosphonates and their overall experience, with the aim of identifying what could be improved for future patients.

What’s the project about?

Bisphosphonates is the name for bone drugs such as Zoledronic Acid, Ibandronic Acid, Alendronic Acid and Clodronate.

This survey is looking specifically at the use of these drugs to reduce the risk of breast cancer spreading to the bones and other parts of the body in women who have been through menopause.

Patients can be prescribed bisphosphonates for other reasons too, such as osteoporosis or for treating secondary breast cancer in the bones. But, this survey is focusing on their use in primary breast cancer. Primary breast cancer is breast cancer that hasn’t spread beyond the breast or the lymph nodes (glands) under the arm.

If you’ve been offered one of these drugs, but you’re not sure about the reasons why, then we’d still love to hear from you. Read more about the survey in the Patient Information Sheet.

Why do you want me to be involved?

This online survey wants to find out what patients think about this treatment, the information you were provided about it, how easy it is to take, and any problems you may have experienced. 

If you‘ve been offered these drugs, but you had them for a short period of time or you decided not to have them, we’d still like to hear about your experience and the reasons for your decisions. 

This information will help cancer researchers and breast cancer oncologists better understand how we can improve future patients’ experience with this treatment.  And encourage patients to continue taking the treatment and  benefit from its effects. 

Who can take part? 

You can take part in this study if you’ve been offered bisphosphonates to reduce the risk of breast cancer spreading after a primary diagnosis (or if you’re unsure of the reasons you were offered them).

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