An ‘unlikely’ link
A 20-year Australian study confirms an ‘unlikely’ connection that could have big implications for fracture prevention.
Australian researchers have discovered an ‘unlikely’ link between prostate cancer and an increased risk of bone fracture, according to a paper published in the international journal, Bone.
Analysis of the long-term Dubbo Osteoporosis Epidemiology Study suggests that men with prostate cancer have a 50 per cent greater risk of fracture, which increases to 100 per cent if they are receiving treatment.
Associate Professor Tuan Nguyen from the Garvan Institute for Medical Research initiated the study after hearing speculation about the connection.
“This is a controversial area which has been under discussion for at least three years,” he said.
“It has taken us about two years to assemble and analyse the data. The results suggest a link between the two diseases, although we still don’t understand the mechanisms.”
Professor Nguyen and his colleagues have studied 822 men from Dubbo for nearly 20 years.
The men were all aged 60 or over when the study began in 1989 and 43 of them developed prostate cancer over the next 20 years.
Twenty-two of the men received ADT (androgen deprivation therapy) and 21 did not.
The men with prostate cancer were found to be 50 per cent more likely to develop prostate cancer than those without the disease, while the use of ADT doubled the risk again.
Professor Nguyen said these results had some important implications.
“First, most of the men who developed prostate cancer started out with a higher bone mineral density (BMD) than average,” he said.
“The clear message that comes out of this study is that men with prostate cancer should consider seeking evaluation for osteoporosis, particularly if they are being treated with ADT.”
