Bone risk with prostate treatment

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

A large study of men with prostate cancer reveals that anti-androgen treatment for prostate cancer does lead to a risk of bone fracture.
There has been increasing use of anti-androgen therapy for prostate cancer in recent years. It is known that the drugs used can lead to loss of bone density. But it's not been clear if this is linked to a risk of bone fracture.

A team at the University of Texas studied records from more than 50,000 men receiving a diagnosis of prostate cancer from 1992 to 1997. Nearly 20 per cent of the survivors who had received anti-androgen therapy had a bone fracture, compared to 12.6 per cent of those not receiving this treatment. The researchers conclude that anti-androgen therapy does pose a real risk of bone fracture, which must be taken into account when treatment is being planned.

Source
New England Journal of Medicine 13th January 2005 Volume 352 pages 154-164