[Efficacy of gefitinib in treatment of lung cancer patients with bone metastasis].

Thirty-65% of patients with metastatic lung cancer will develop bone metastasis. Bone metastases cause considerable skeletal morbidity, including bone pain, pathologic fractures, spinal cord compression and it is necessary to develop the effective treatment against bone metastasis. We reported cases of non-small-cell lung cancer who had dramatic improvements of pathologic fractures with gefitinib. In addition, gefitinib treatments elevated levels of serum Bone ALP, ICTP and ratio of Bone ALP/ICTP in patients with bone metastasis. Gefitinib may have inhibitory effects against bone resorption as well as antitumor effects.