Cancer Osteoporosis Osteopenia

Treatment of Cancer Osteoporosis, Osteopenia. Sometimes cancer spreads to the bone. This is called bone metastasis. When this happens, patients expect to find themselves with bone deterioration or bone loss. Their treatment for such metastasis is all part of their overall treatment of their cancer.

But patients whose cancer does not metastasize t the bone, those who cancer goes into remission do not expect to find themselves with a cancer osteoporosis or osteopenic condition. They never realized that bone loss might be a side effect of their treatment. Without such a warning these cancer survivors can feel blindsided by this new diagnosis and all it entails.

Important facts for cancer survivors:

1. If you have been treated for cancer, many of the treatment therapies, including chemotherapy and corticosteroids,have a negative effect on bone.

2. If you have been treated for breast or prostrate cancer, your treatment may have limited or eliminated hormones from circulating in your body. These hormones, estrogen and testosterone, are important regulators of bone building cells. You may now find yourself with excessive bone loss.

When you were first diagnosed you and your health care providers focused on your beating your cancerous malignancy This was the most important task. After all, if your treatment was not effective, your health care providers knew that you would not be around to worry about any other health problems. So in one sense, your cancer Osteoporosis or osteopenia is a side effect of your success.

But now you need to do something about your bone loss. You need to do that before you start having fractures. After all, the data on hip fractures show that these often lead to death within a year. YOu do not want to win the battle your health in one area but lose it in another.

So, if you have had cancer be sure that you get a dexa scan. If your physician did not order one already, do call and ask for one to be scheduled.

If you have already been diagnosed with excessive bone loss, as a cancer survivor there are a number of things you many want to keep in mind when considering treatments. Some one who has survived breast cancer, for example, is not likely to opt for the use of hormones.

Many physicians prescribe on one of the bisphosphonates for their former cancer patients. See: Overview of Osteopenia, Osteoporosis medications

You may want to read the pages about natural Strontium since this was used in the Mayo Clinic with theircancer patients as early as the 1950's. Cancer Osteoporosis? Strontium for Stronger Bones

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