Cancer drug trial brings mixed result
But the study involving 3,300 patients found zoledronic acid did lead to a major 29 per cent improvement in survival among post-menopausal women.
Prof Rob Coleman, of Sheffield University, who headed the trial, said: "In the larger population, we did not see a difference but in the post-menopausal women a survival advantage like this is quite remarkable and the difference in outcome between this group and the younger population is unlikely to be a chance finding."
Experts from Leeds University last week reported zoledronic acid, which is used in bone health, improved survival by six months in patients with multiple myeloma.