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Bone fractures associated with luteinizing hormone‐releasing hormone agonists used in the treatment of prostate carcinoma
Author(s) -
Townsend Murphy F.,
Sanders W. Holt,
Northway Robert O.,
Graham Sam D.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0142(19970201)79:3<545::aid-cncr17>3.0.co;2-3
Subject(s) - medicine , incidence (geometry) , prostate cancer , prostate , cohort , carcinoma , etiology , retrospective cohort study , surgery , oncology , cancer , physics , optics
BACKGROUND Luteinizing hormone‐releasing hormone agonists (LHRH‐a) have become an established treatment for certain patients with prostate carcinoma. LHRH‐a are known to decrease bone mineral density. The purpose of this study was to determine the risk of bone fracture in men receiving LHRH‐a for prostate carcinoma. METHODS A retrospective chart review and phone interviews were conducted to determine the incidence of bone fractures occurring in patients receiving LHRH‐a for the treatment of prostate carcinoma. Abstracted data included the number of monthly LHRH‐a injections, age, clinical stage of disease, sites of metastases, and bone fracture history. RESULTS Twenty of the 224 patients (9%) treated with LHRH‐a for prostate carcinoma between 1988 and 1995 at 3 teaching hospitals had at least 1 bone fracture during treatment with LHRH‐a. The duration of treatment to the time of fracture ranged from 1 to 96 months (mean, 22.2 months). Seven fractures (32%) were osteoporotic in nature (i.e., vertebral compression fractures or hip fractures after a fall from standing), whereas 8 fractures (36%) were associated with a significant traumatic event (i.e., a motor vehicle accident, boxing, etc.) and 5 were of mixed etiology. Two of 22 fractures (9%) were pathologic. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrated a 9% fracture incidence in a cohort of patients receiving LHRH‐a for prostate carcinoma for up to 96 months. The incidence of osteoporotic fractures was 5%. Cancer 1997; 79:545‐50. © 1997 American Cancer Society.