Could a common bone drug help fight a rare cancer?
NCT ID NCT03173976
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This phase 1b trial is testing whether giving zoledronic acid, a drug usually used for bone thinning, before surgery can help people with chondrosarcoma, a rare bone cancer. Seventeen adults with any grade of the disease that can be surgically removed will receive the drug and then have their tumors assessed for changes. The main goals are to check safety and see if the drug affects tumor cells and bone damage.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Zoledronic acid (a bone-strengthening drug)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a new way to shrink or control chondrosarcoma tumors before surgery, potentially improving outcomes.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early, small phase 1 trial with only 17 people, so results may not apply broadly. The drug may cause side effects like kidney issues or jaw problems, and it's not yet known if it truly helps patients.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 1
The first testing in people. Mainly checks safety and dose, usually in a small group.
- Participants
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17 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jul 2017
- Expected to finish
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May 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion criteria 1. Male or female patients aged \>/= 18 years old 2. ECOG Performance Status of \</= 2 3. Written informed consent from subject or the subject's legally authorized representative, obtained prior to participation in the study and any related procedures being performed 4. Patients must meet the following laboratory criteria: 1. Hematology: * Neutrophil count of \>1500/mm * Platelet count of \> 100,000/mm3 * Hemoglobin \≥ 9 g/dL 2. Biochemistry: * AST/SGOT and ALT/SGPT \</=2.5 x upper limit of normal (ULN) or \</=5.0 x ULN if the transaminase elevation is due to disease involvement * Serum bilirubin \</= 1.5 x ULN; for subjects with Gilbert's syndrome, direct bilirubin \</=1.5×ULN and indirect bilirubin \</=3×ULN * Serum creatinine \</= 1.5 x ULN or estimated creatinine clearance \>/= 50 ml/min by Cockcroft-Gault equation: GFR=(140-age)\*(wt in kg)\*(0.85 if female)/(72xCr) * Total serum calcium (corrected for serum albumin) \>/= 8.5 mg/dL or ionized calcium \>/= 3.8 mg/dL * Serum potassium \>/= LLN * Serum sodium \>/= LLN * Serum albumin \>/= 3g/dl 5. Any patient with a biopsy proven diagnosis of chondrosarcoma that is grade I, II or III or in cases where histological and radiological correlation suggests low grade chondrosarcoma as per multidisciplinary discussion. 6. Patients with biopsy proven dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma that chose not to pursue neoadjuvant chemotherapy are allowed. 7. Patients must not have received zoledronic acid (ZA) for any reason prior to the study. 8. Patients with metastatic disease are allowed, if indication to remove primary tumor. Exclusion criteria 1. Prior use of Osteoclast inhibitors for osteoporosis within 6 months from screening will not be allowed. 2. Impaired cardiac function 3. Uncontrolled hypertension 4. Creatinine \>1.5 or history of Renal disease preventing use of ZA. 5. Other concurrent severe and/or uncontrolled medical conditions including need for urgent dentoalveolar surgery as indicated by preventative dental exam 6. Concomitant use of any anti-cancer therapy or radiation therapy 7. Women who are pregnant or breast feeding or WOCBP not willing to use a double barrier method of contraception during the study and 3 months after the end of treatment. One of these methods of contraception must be a barrier method. WOCBP are defined as sexually mature women who have not undergone a hysterectomy or who have not been naturally postmenopausal for at least 12 consecutive months (i.e., who has had menses any time in the preceding 12 consecutive months).
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
Iowa City, Iowa, 52242, United States
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