Study to Determine the Prevalence of Osteoporosis in Patients With Advanced Prostate Cancer Treated With Hormonal Manipulation

Osteoporosis, or thinning of the bones is a common disorder which can cause significant morbidity in terms of pain and fracture. One of the causes of osteoporosis is a low or absent testosterone level. Prostate cancer is the second most common malignancy in males with an increasing incidence. The mainstay of advanced prostate cancer treatment is hormonal manipulation (surgery or medications) in order to lower testosterone levels as testosterone stimulates cancer cells. Despite the known links both between osteoporosis, low testosterone, and prostate cancer, little data is available on how common osteoporosis is among men with advanced prostate cancer treated with hormonal manipulation. Since prostate cancer affects so many men and the indications for early hormonal manipulation are expanding, it is important to determine the prevalence of osteoporosis in these males.