Xgeva
(ex-JEE-vuh)
A drug that contains the active ingredient denosumab and is used to prevent or treat certain bone problems. Xgeva is used to prevent bone problems caused by multiple myeloma or by solid tumors that have spread to the bone. It is also used in certain patients to treat giant cell tumor of the bone that cannot be removed by surgery, and to treat hypercalcemia that is caused by cancer and did not get better after treatment with bisphosphonates. Xgeva binds to a protein called RANKL, which keeps RANKL from binding to another protein called RANK on the surface of certain bone cells, including bone cancer cells. This may help keep bone from breaking down and cancer cells from growing. Xgeva may also prevent the loss of calcium from the bones. It is a type of monoclonal antibody.