Osteoporosis common in gynecologic cancer patients

Pamela Egan Practical Practitioner

 

By: Pamela Egan, FNP-C CDE

 


 

Osteoporosis common in gynecologic cancer patients

 

 

Screening and treatment for osteoporosis should be part of routine care for patients with gynecologic cancers, according to a study from the New York University School of Medicine.

Patients with gynecologic cancers had a high rate of osteoporosis – about 66 percent – although none of the patients in the study had received previous screening for the condition. The mean patient age was 51.3 years.

Osteoporosis kills more women each year than all gynecologic cancers combined. Osteoporotic hip fractures cause about 40,000 deaths annually in the United States. Ovarian cancer, uterine, cervical, vulvar and vaginal cancers combined cause about 27,100 deaths each year.

Many gynecologic cancers are treated with surgery or radiation that results in loss of ovarian function and early menopause. This in turn, increases the risk for osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis was primarily an issue for women with a long-term survival after gynecologic cancers. Osteoporosis is a long-term survival problem. Routine management of blood pressure, cholesterol, bone density and other cancer screening needs to be incorporated into the follow-up of gynecologic cancer.


This article was originally published May 5, 2003 in The St. Tammany News.

 

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