| Exclusion Criteria: | 1) Patients with documented relapsed malignancy or recurrence of the original hematological disorder after the transplant, uncontrolled acute GVHD, or uncontrolled infection.
2) Patients with hypocalcemia of less than 8.4 (corrected to account for the albumin level).
3) Patients with hypercalcemia >12.2, due to a cause not related to their hematological malignancy or hematological disorder (i.e. hyperparathyroidism, multiple myeloma).
4) Hypersensitivity to Ibandronate or other bisphosphonates.
5) Pre-existing osteoporosis, defined as a bone density T-score of –2.5 S.D. or less.
6) Renal insufficiency (calculated creatinine clearance < 30 ml/min).
7) Patients already on bisphosphonates (over the past two years), calcitonin, anabolic steroids, or daily oral fluoride supplement.
8) Myeloma patients who have previously been on bisphosphonates over the past two years and/or have active bone lesions.
9) If corrected calcium is above 10.3 and the iPTH is elevated or normal, the patient will be excluded from the study.
10) Patients with a 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration <20 ng/ml and evidence of osteomalacia (low ionized calcium and elevated intact PTH).
11) Dental considerations: Patients with recent tooth extraction with signs of incomplete healing or significant infection will be excluded. |