UPMC to test new cancer treatment
PITTSBURGH – Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in men and is especially prevalent among African-Americans. One of the side effects of a common prostate cancer therapy, however, is loss of bone mass, which can result in osteoporosis.
A new study at the UPMC Osteoporosis Prevention and Treatment Center will determine whether a medication used to treat bone loss in women can be equally beneficial for prostate cancer patients.
Often considered a disease of older women, osteoporosis also appears in men receiving androgen-deprivation therapy as a treatment for prostate cancer.
While treatments that deprive the body of the male hormone androgen often are effective in stopping the cancer, they can increase the loss of bone density and lead to fractures.
This side effect was discovered in a research study led by Susan Greenspan, M.D., director of the UPMC Osteoporosis Prevention and Treatment Center, and published in 2001 in the “Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.”
The new research study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, will determine the effectiveness of a weekly dose of alendronate to prevent and treat bone loss in prostate cancer patients who have undergone androgen-deprivation therapy.
Alendronate, a Fosamax, has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for prevention and treatment of bone loss in women.
All participants will receive the medication for at least one year during the two-year study. All will receive calcium and vitamin D supplements as well.
Participants will be required to visit the study’s clinic in UPMC Montefiore for a physical exam, blood test, urine test, heel ultrasound, bone density X-ray and to receive study medications and supplements.
Follow-up visits at six, 12 and 24 months are also required for additional testing.
For more information about participating in this study, call the UPMC Osteoporosis Prevention and Treatment Center at 412-692-2220.