Bone Mineral Density Testing Is Important in Non-Metastatic Prostate Cancer Patients Undergoing ADT

The findings of a study indicate that bone mineral testing should be performed for prostate cancer patients undergoing androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) as osteoporosis is common in this population, with a growing prevalence. The study appeared in the Japanese Journal of Clinical Oncology.

In this retrospective cross-sectional study, researchers assessed 106 prostate cancer patients treated with ADT. Exclusion criteria was defined as any patients with bone metastasis at the start of therapy and those with castration-resistant prostate cancer. Bone mineral density was measured both at the lumbar spine and femoral neck using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. The study defined osteoporosis as bone mineral density equal to or below either -2.5 SD or 70% of the mean in young adults.

The analysis found that 34% of the study population had osteoporosis, and its incidence increased in a stepwise manner depending on ADT duration. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified a longer duration of ADT (odds ratio [OR] = 1.017, P = 0.006), lower body mass index (OR = 0.801, P = 0.005) and higher serum alkaline phosphatase value (OR = 1.007, P = 0.014) as the factors independently associated with the diagnosis of osteoporosis.