Zoledronic acid: 27 Real Stories

Stage I Breast Cancer: Michelle's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Michelle Kang, Female, Under 40 | Stage I

Biomarkers: Hormone-positive breast cancer; no suspicious inherited genetic mutation reported

Michelle was 6 years cancer-free after Stage 1B hormone-positive breast cancer while continuing hormone therapy, Zometa, Signatera blood testing, reconstruction follow-up, and survivorship monitoring.

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Stage IV Breast Cancer: Bethany's Patient Story

Patient Info: Bethany W., Female, Under 40 | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: Bones; liver; lymph nodes; stomach

As of June 2026, Bethany was living with Stage IV metastatic breast cancer and responding well to maintenance treatment, with scans described as phenomenal and disease areas shrinking or disappearing.

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Metastatic triple-negative breast cancer with orbital and bone metastases responding to nab-paclitaxel plus everolimus

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 70+ | Stage IV

Biomarkers: Primary breast cancer was ER-low, PR/HER2 negative. Orbital metastasis was triple-negative with AKT1 exon 4 mutation.

Metastatic Site: right orbit/orbital mass; bone

At 6-month follow-up, systemic disease was stable, ocular symptoms had significantly improved, orbital metastases were stable on MRI, and the response was described as RECIST partial response/progression-free interval while treatment continued.

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EGFR-mutant lung adenocarcinoma with acquired ROS1 rearrangement after EGFR-TKI resistance

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 50s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: EGFR exon 19 deletion; acquired EGFR T790M; acquired EZR exon10-ROS1 exon34 rearrangement

Metastatic Site: bone (distal femur); contralateral lung;…

After fourth-line crizotinib for acquired EZR-ROS1 rearrangement, response evaluation on August 27, 2025 showed partial response, and September 2025 bone scan showed stable bone lesions.

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Stage IV MSI-H KRAS-mutant colorectal adenocarcinoma: severe pembrolizumab-associated hypercalcemia resolved with steroids and zoledronic acid

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 70+ | Stage IV

Biomarkers: KRAS G12xa mutation; MSI-H; BRAF wild type; NRAS wild type; PTH low-normal

Metastatic Site: liver

After the second pembrolizumab dose, severe hypercalcemia and electrolyte abnormalities resolved with high-dose glucocorticoids, zoledronic acid, and supportive care; cancer response was not yet described.

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Stage IV ER/PR-positive breast cancer with retinal vein and artery occlusion during endocrine-targeted therapy

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 50s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: ER 70%; PR 100%; HER2-negative; Ki-67 10%

Metastatic Site: bone (cranial vault, right first rib, sternum, D5, D6,…

As of November 2025, she continued care for Stage IV ER/PR-positive breast cancer with bone metastases while also managing severe left-eye retinal vascular occlusion and limited visual recovery.

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Stage II Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Jennifer's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Jennifer Rancik, Female, Under 40 | Stage II

Biomarkers: BRCA1 mutation; triple-negative breast cancer

Jennifer entered remission in October 2017 after Stage II triple-negative breast cancer treatment and, as of October 2025, reported doing great and being off medications except occasional Zometa.

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Metastatic breast cancer to the mandible with later lung and liver spread

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 40s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: ER/PR negative, HER2 weak-to-moderate.

Metastatic Site: mandible/bone, lungs, liver

She died 6 months after diagnosis of mandibular metastasis from breast cancer, after further spread to the lungs and liver.

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Metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer complicated by medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 60s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: HER2-positive breast cancer. Jaw workup focused on osteonecrosis

Metastatic Site: bone / osseous metastasis

The case focused on metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer complicated by medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw after antiresorptive therapy; dental pain improved transiently after oral-surgery interventions, but systemic cancer response was not described.

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Metastatic male breast cancer: complete metabolic response after restarting anastrozole, leuprolide, abemaciclib, zoledronic acid, and radiation

Patient Info: Anonymized, Male, 60s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: ER >95%; PR >95%; HER2/neu-negative; Ki-67 30%; PIK3CA exon 21 pathogenic variant; BRCA1 not mutated; BRCA2 not mutated

Metastatic Site: bone (vertebral bodies T2-T6, L1, and L5)

As of May 2025, after restarting endocrine and targeted therapy and receiving palliative radiation, the last two PET scans showed complete metabolic response without disease progression, and brain MRI showed no metastasis.

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Small Cell Lung Cancer That Spread to the Ear Canal

Patient Info: Anonymized, male, 70+ | Stage IV

Metastatic Site: external auditory canal, middle ear, pancreas, bone

The metastatic lesions initially shrank and his hearing and ear pain improved, but he died 15 months after diagnosis.

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Breast cancer history: atypical pelvic fracture after long-term zoledronic acid

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 60s | Stage Metastatic/Advanced

Prior breast cancer treatment had been completed; CT during fracture evaluation showed no metastatic disease, and the atypical iliac wing fracture healed progressively with conservative care and teriparatide.

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HER2-Positive Breast Cancer With Metastatic Progression and Drug-Induced Lupus During T-DM1

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 50s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: ER-positive, PR-negative, HER2-positive

Metastatic Site: bones, axillary lymph nodes, intra-abdominal lymph…

More than 5 years after her March 2018 diagnosis, she was living with metastatic breast cancer, but T-DM1 had been stopped after disease progression in 2023.

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Stage IV luminal B breast cancer with liver, bone, and bone marrow metastases

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, Under 40 | Stage IV

Biomarkers: ER 90% positive; PR 20% positive; HER2-negative; Ki-67 60%; luminal B

Metastatic Site: liver, bone, bone marrow

The patient had marked clinical and hematologic improvement on leuprorelin, letrozole, ribociclib, and zoledronic acid, with sustained complete remission reported for 4 months from September to December 2023 and monthly follow-up advised.

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Stage 4 breast cancer: ongoing treatment with multi-line chemotherapy

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 40s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: Initial tumor: hormone receptor-negative; HER2 2+. 2011 recurrence: ER 10%; PR 70%; HER2 2+.

Metastatic Site: pleura/pleural effusion; lung

Metastatic breast cancer with malignant pleural effusion achieved complete response after chemotherapy and long-term endocrine therapy; PET-CT in October 2023 still showed complete response, with ongoing cardiac and bone-health management.

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HR-positive HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer: bone metastases managed with sequential endocrine therapy

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 50s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: ER 90%+, PR 80%+, HER2-. CA 15-3 was tracked during treatment.

Metastatic Site: skull base; spine; sternum; ribs; left iliac bone;…

Metastatic HR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer remained under active management; after earlier progression, palbociclib plus fulvestrant and zoledronic acid produced stable/remission findings on PET/CT at 3 months and again 1 year later, with continued 3-month follow-up recommended.

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BRCA2-mutant metastatic breast cancer: complete response with rucaparib maintenance

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, Under 40 | Stage IV

Biomarkers: Germline BRCA2 mutation; somatic BRCA2 mutation; HER2 amplification not seen by FISH; grade III IDC

Metastatic Site: bone

She maintained a complete response for 2 years on rucaparib, letrozole, and zoledronic acid after upfront metastatic BRCA2-mutated breast cancer involving bone, axillary nodes, and right-breast nodules.

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Stage 4 lobular breast cancer: bone therapy switch to denosumab

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 40s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: Not reported for breast cancer; CRP 21 mg/dL and ESR 27 mm/hr were elevated during orbital inflammation workup

Metastatic Site: bone

As of April 2024, zoledronate-associated ocular inflammation resolved within 2.5 weeks, vision returned to 20/20 after about 3 weeks, and bone-support treatment was changed to denosumab; breast-cancer response was not reported.

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Jeff

Patient Info: Jeff, Male | Stage IV

Biomarkers: EGFR exon 19 deletion

Metastatic Site: brain|bones|lymph nodes

The lung mass shrank, 5 brain lesions and the involved lymph node had no evidence of disease, and Jeff described his condition as stable while continuing osimertinib and bone-strengthening infusions.

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Stage IV HER2-Positive Inflammatory Breast Cancer: Olivia's Survivor Story

Patient Info: Olivia Franz, Female, Under 40 | Stage IV

Biomarkers: HER2-positive

Metastatic Site: Bones; distant lymph nodes

As of October 2023, Olivia continued to show no evidence of disease on scans while receiving maintenance trastuzumab and pertuzumab every 3 weeks and zoledronic acid every 3 months for bone health.

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Metastatic breast cancer with a blood condition that mimicked multiple myeloma

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female | Stage IV

Biomarkers: Oestrogen receptor-positive

Metastatic Site: bone

Her pain came under control and the metastatic breast cancer remained stable for approximately 5 years. MGUS did not progress to myeloma, and she later died from causes unrelated to cancer.

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Surgery Relieved Eye Symptoms From Metastatic Breast Cancer

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 40s | Stage IV

Biomarkers: Mammaglobin positive; GATA3 positive

Metastatic Site: orbit|lungs|bone (right scapula and proximal humerus)

At six months after surgery, she had improved diplopia and no new symptoms but had declined additional radiation, systemic treatment, bisphosphonate therapy, and hormone therapy for metastatic breast cancer.

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Stage IV Breast Cancer: Kirby's Patient Story

Patient Info: Kirby Lewis, Male | Stage IV

Biomarkers: ER-positive, PR-positive, HER2-negative

Metastatic Site: lung|spine

Kirby was living with metastatic breast cancer, and his most recent scans showed the right-lung tumor was stable with no signs of progression while he continued fulvestrant and palbociclib.

Metastatic ER-positive breast cancer complicated by osteonecrosis of the jaw

Patient Info: Anonymized, Female, 70+ | Stage IV

Biomarkers: ER-positive.

Metastatic Site: bone (sternum, spine, pelvis, and proximal femur)

After progressive metastatic bone disease and severe medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw, she entered end-of-life care and died three weeks after discharge to a nursing home.

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