Changes on Bone Mineral Density after Adjuvant Treatment in Women with Non-metastatic Breast Cancer

Summary  Purpose. Adjuvant therapies have prolonged survival of non-metastatic breast cancer (NMBC) patients, but they also decrease bone mineral density (BMD). We have analyzed the effects of chemotherapy, hormone therapy with tamoxifen or both, on BMD of women with NMBC. Patients and methods. We prospectively included 168 women with NMBC (stage I–III) referred to the Medical Oncology Service of University Hospital of Canary Islands between 1997 and 2001 (55 ± 12 years; 37% premenopausal; 43 ± 13 months of follow-up). We measured lumbar and hip BMD (g/cm2) at diagnosis, after chemotherapy and after 12 months of tamoxifen. If a low BMD was detected, women were treated with bisphosphonates.