Osteoporosis in women with breast cancer and its effect on quality of life: a pilot study

Purpose: The primary aim of this study, was to evaluate the risk of osteoporosis (OP) in patients who had received adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer The secondary aim was to investigate the effect of OP on the quality of life of these patients. Patients and methods: Twenty-six patients with breast cancer and 21 health); controls were recruited into the study All breast cancer patients were treated with 6 cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured by Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Short Form-36 (SF-36) questionnaire was used to assess the quality of life. Results: The mean lumbar area BMD value significantly lower inpatients with breast cancer than in healthy controls (p=0.017). There were no significant differences in the femoral area BMD measurements between the groups. OP was more pronounced after 24 months of the last chemotherapy course than in the first 12 months (p=0.04). The most affected domain of the SF-36 in patients with breast cancer was the physical role. Conclusion: Adjuvant chemotherapy increases the risk of accelerated bone loss in the lumbar spine. OP should be investigated during follow-up in order to improve the quality of life of the surviving breast cancer patients.