Risk of hospitalization and death due to bone fractures after breast cancer: a registry-based cohort study

BACKGROUND: Bone fractures may have an impact on prognosis of breast cancer. The long-term risks of bone fracture in breast cancer patients have not been thoroughly studied. METHODS: Poisson regression was used to investigate the incidence of hospitalisation due to bone fracture comparing women with and without breast cancer based on Swedish National registers. Cox regression was used to investigate the risk of being hospitalised with bone fracture, and subsequent risk of death, in a regional cohort of breast cancer patients. RESULTS: For breast cancer patients, the 5-year risk of bone fracture hospitalisation was 4.8% and the 30-day risk of death following a bone fracture hospitalisation was 2.0%. Compared with the general population, breast cancer patients had incidence rate ratios of 1.25 (95% CI: 1.23-1.28) and 1.18 (95% CI: 1.14-1.22) for hospitalisation due to any bone fracture and hip fracture, respectively. These ratios remained significantly increased for 10 years. Comorbidities (Charlson Comorbidity Index 1) were associated with the risk of being hospitalised with bone fracture. Women taking aromatase inhibitors were at an increased risk as compared with women taking tamoxifen (HR=1.48; 95% CI: 0.98-2.22). Breast cancer patients hospitalised for a bone fracture showed a higher risk of death (HR=1.83; 95% CI: 1.50-2.22) compared with those without bone fracture. CONCLUSIONS: Women with a previous breast cancer diagnosis are at an increased risk of hospitalisation due to a bone fracture, particularly if they have other comorbidities.Swedish Research CouncilSwedish Cancer SocietyFORTEAccepte

Cancer Treatment and Bone Health

Considerable advances in oncology over recent decades have led to improved survival, while raising concerns about long-term consequences of anticancer treatments. In patients with breast or prostate malignancies, bone health is a major issue due to the high risk of bone metastases and the frequent prolonged use of hormone therapies that alter physiological bone turnover, leading to increased fracture risk. Thus, the onset of cancer treatment-induced bone loss (CTIBL) should be considered by clinicians and recent guidelines should be routinely applied to these patients. In particular, baseline and periodic follow-up evaluations of bone health parameters enable the identification of patients at high risk of osteoporosis and fractures, which can be prevented by the use of bone-targeting agents (BTAs), calcium and vitamin D supplementation and modifications of lifestyle. This review will focus upon the pathophysiology of breast and prostate cancer treatment-induced bone loss and the most recent evidence about effective preventive and therapeutic strategies

American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guideline Update: Recommendations on the Role of Bone-Modifying Agents in Metastatic Breast Cancer

Journal of Clinical Oncology recently published ASCO's update to its guideline on the use of bone-modifying agents for patients with bone metastases, the scope of which was narrowed to the use of bone-modifying agents for patients with evidence of bone metastases