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A population-based analysis of the risk of hip fracture in men with prostate cancer exposed to radiation and androgen deprivation therapy Blood, Paul

Abstract

Prostate cancer is frequently diagnosed in elderly men and, despite the largely unproven survival benefits of treatment, the majority receive treatment. Treatment options include surgery, radiation, and/or androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). Risks associated with treatment include hip fracture. Current understanding suggests that hip fracture is a frequent cause of morbidity and mortality in the elderly, and both radiation treatment and ADT can increase the risk of hip fracture. It is important to understand these risks so they can be minimized and the morbidity of treatment reduced. The objectives of this study were to estimate the risk of hip fracture as a major adverse outcome of treatment for prostate cancer among elderly men. The specific objectives include estimating: 1) the risk of hip fracture and the dose-risk relationship among patients receiving curative radiation treatment, and 2) the risk of hip fracture associated with palliative ADT and relapsed ADT compared to curative ADT. The cancer diagnosis and treatment records of 32,673 men were linked to their hospital discharge abstracts. The risk of hip fracture was estimated using Cox regression and the estimates were adjusted for age, comorbidity, income, and year of diagnosis. The risk of hip fracture was 59% higher among men who received curative radiation when compared to men who received curative surgery. The risk of hip fracture fell by 6% with each one Gy increase in radiation dose between 55 and 81 Gy Biological Equivalent Dose to the hip-bone. The risk of hip fracture for subjects in the palliative ADT and relapsed ADT categories was 5.98 and 5.77 times the risk in comparison to men who received curative ADT treatment. Curative radiation treatment is associated with an increased risk of hip fracture when compared to curative surgery. The risk of hip fracture is greater with ADT for palliation and relapsed cancer than with curative treatment. Current treatments for prostate cancer contain significant risk of hip fracture for elderly men and these risks should be considered as part of the treatment decision.

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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International