Cancer is a common condition. As health care professionals, many of our patients have a history of cancer. As individuals, our lives or the lives of those close to us have often been touched by cancer. Rapid advances in cancer treatment – including the advent of immunotherapy, have markedly improved cancer prognosis. However, improved cancer survivorship means these patients may suffer more chronic issues, such as poor bone health (osteoporosis/osteopenia) and its major complication – fracture. As cancer tends to affect older individuals, this burden is compounded by age-related bone loss. Aside from fracture-related pain and incapacity, low trauma/fragility/osteoporotic fractures are associated with increased mortality for up to 10 years post-fracture.
In particular, we will discuss the importance of bone health in those suffering from the commonest cancer in women and men - breast and prostate cancer, respectively. As part of treatment, patients with these cancers often undergo endocrine therapies which cause bone loss and place them at high risk of secondary osteoporosis. This group of patients particularly exemplifies the importance of multi-disciplinary care involving radiation and medical oncologists, surgeons, bone health experts, general practitioners, allied health workers, healthcare professional bodies and bone health and cancer consumer organisations.