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Risedronate May Reduce Bone Loss in Men Undergoing Prostate Cancer Treatment: Presented at ASBMR

By Bonnie Darves

SEATTLE, WA -- October 5, 2004 -- The bisphosphonate risedronate (RIS) may be effective in reducing or even preventing bone loss in men who receive androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) for the treatment of prostate cancer, according to findings from a study presented here at the of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research Annual Meeting.

The effectiveness of bisphosphonates such as risedronate is well established for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women, but little research has been conducted on effective treatments for the bone loss that occurs in men treated with androgen deprivation.

"This is an area that needs further study, with more men undergoing [prostate] cancer treatment that is associated with bone loss," said lead investigator Kazuhiro Ishizaka, MD, Kanto Central Hospital, Kanto, Japan.

While effective in slowing prostate cancer, ADT also decreases bone mineral density (BMD) and increases fracture risk. Dr. Ishizaka and colleagues undertook the study to determine whether risedronate would prove efficacious in treatment-related bone loss in men receiving ADT.

In the multicenter study, 61 men with prostate cancer with a mean age of 79 years, who had undergone ADT treatment for a mean of 42 months, received a 2.5 mg oral dose of risedronate daily for 6 months. The men, 58 of whom had controlled disease at the start of the study, did not receive supplemental calcium or vitamin D. The primary end point was change in BMD, which was assessed at baseline and at study completion.

Baseline BMD T-scores were a mean of -1.5 at the femoral neck and -1.1 at the radial spine. After treatment with risedronate, those scores were stabilized or slightly improved, Dr. Ishizaka noted. Lumbar spine BMD was significantly increased from 1069 mg/cm² to 1,112 mg/cm² by the end of the treatment period.

One patient withdrew from the study because of an adverse event, so researchers deemed the treatment both safe and effective in this population.

Dr. Ishizaka said that bone loss in men with prostate cancer will become an increasingly important problem as their survival continues to increase thanks to improved treatments. Therefore, treatment with risedronate or other bisphosphonates may emerge as an effective way to address the challenge.


[Presentation title: "The Effect of Risedronate to Prevent Bone Loss in Men Under Androgen-Deprivation Therapy for Prostate Cancer." Abstract SU440]

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