Bone fractures associated with luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone agonists used in the treatment of prostate carcinoma

✍ Scribed by Murphy F. Townsend; W. Holt Sanders; Robert O. Northway; Sam D. Graham Jr.

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 78 KB
• Volume: 79
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0008-543X
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0142(19970201)79:3<545::aid-cncr17>3.0.co;2-3

✦ Synopsis

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%.