Extremely low rates of testing of bone mineral density (BMD), as recommended by recent guidelines, were found in a nationwide study of older men receiving androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for the treatment of prostate cancer.
Even fewer men with Medicare Part D coverage who were at risk for fracture were being treated with a bone-modifying agent.
"Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is the mainstay for treatment of locally advanced high-risk localized or metastatic prostate cancer [but it] can negatively impact bone health, resulting in decreased bone mineral density (BMD) and fractures," comment the researchers, led by Maria Suarez-Almazor, MD, PhD, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.
Although they found low rates of screening of BMD with DXA (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) scans, use of such a scan "was associated with a lower risk of major fractures," they write.
This suggests that "DXA screening is important for the prevention of major fractures among older men with prostate cancer," they conclude.
The study was published online April 1 in JAMA Network Open.
Fracture Risk
For their study, the team used data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database as well as the Texas Cancer Registry.
They identified 54,953 men (median age, 74 years) who had been diagnosed with localized or regional prostate cancer between January 2005 and December 2015.
