Preserving bone health in patients with hormone-sensitive prostate cancer: the role of bisphosphonates

Abstract

Men with prostate cancer initiating androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) may have multiple factors that threaten their skeletal health, including increased fracture risk from bone loss during ADT and the propensity to develop bone metastases, which may lead to skeletal-related events (SREs). Bisphosphonates have utility in oncology for patients with bone metastases to prevent bone loss during hormonal therapy and in the benign setting to treat osteoporosis. These agents have an emerging role in patients with hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (HSPC). Etidronate, alendronate, pamidronate, and zoledronic acid have all shown efficacy in preventing ADT-related bone loss. Alendronate and zoledronic acid have also been shown to increase bone mineral density vs baseline during ADT. Patients with bone metastases from HSPC who received 4 mg zoledronic acid every 3 or 4 weeks had a low incidence of skeletal complications, although controlled study data have not been reported. Bisphosphonate treatment in men with HSPC may be effective for the prevention of ADT-related bone loss, underscoring the importance of treating early to avoid SREs and potentially delay disease progression to metastatic bone disease.