Prostate cancer increases the risk of bone fractures

After 20 years of research, scientists from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research (Australia) have published an important finding: Patients with prostate cancer are at high risk of fracture, even double.

The results of ' Dubbo 's Osteoporosis epidemiology ' of the Garvan Institute, in Sydney, show that men with prostate cancer have a 50% increased risk of fracture compared to people without this disease. And if the patient is treated with "androgen deprivation therapy" (ADT) therapy, that risk nearly doubles!

Dr. Nguyen Van Tuan, who initiated and chaired this study, said: 'This is a controversial topic and has been discussed for at least the last 3 years. It took us about 2 years to gather and analyze data. The results show a link between prostate cancer and fractures, although we do not understand the mechanism of that link. '

Dr. Tuan and his colleagues followed and studied the data of 822 men in Dubbo province (Australia) from 1989 until now. At that time, these people were aged 60 or older. After that, 43 people had prostate cancer, of which 22 were treated with ADT, the remaining 21 did not use ADT. As a result, people who use ADT have a 1.5 to 2 times higher risk of fracture than people without this cancer.

Dr. Tuan explained: 'Men with prostate cancer often have high levels of androgen hormones, which have good bone density, which helps reduce the risk of fractures. But not really, because these patients have to undergo treatment with ADT, so they often lose bone quite quickly, leading to a high risk of bone fracture. '

According to the Garvan Institute's study, the risk of bone fractures increases in men with prostate cancer.(Photo: orthopedics.about.com)

He emphasized: 'This research has important implications in practice, because the results show that: firstly, most men with prostate cancer often have higher bone mineral density (BMD); secondly, this cancer clearly increases the risk of fractures; and third, ADT treatment doubled that risk. '

'There are many factors that affect bone health that we do not know yet. But it is clear that higher BMD in patients with prostate cancer did not help them fight the risk of fracture. However, it is not known exactly which mechanism creates the link between prostate cancer and bone fracture. '

'Through this study, we want to make a recommendation that people with prostate cancer should see a doctor for osteoporosis, especially when they are being treated with ADT.'

'We are finding more and more correlations between different diseases. Can not separate osteoporosis with cancer or diabetes, etc. Therefore, when treating a certain disease, we must be careful to avoid increasing the risk of other diseases. Identifying those relationships will help us find a more comprehensive treatment for patients. ' This research has just been published in the Bone international journal May 14, 2008.