# Treatment-induced bone loss

Source: https://onco.cc/terms/treatment-induced-bone-loss/  
OnCo record `treatment-induced-bone-loss` (Term). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Thinning of the bones caused by switching off testosterone, which raises the risk of fractures.

## Summary

It starts within the first year of androgen deprivation and increases the longer treatment goes on. In 50,613 men, 19.4 percent of those on androgen deprivation who survived at least five years had a fracture against 12.6 percent of those not on it. NICE NG131 says not to offer bisphosphonates routinely to prevent it, to consider assessing fracture risk, to offer bisphosphonates to men who already have osteoporosis, and to consider denosumab where bisphosphonates are not suitable. A DEXA scan measures it.

## Fields

- Kind: Term
- Last checked: 2026-09-25
- Also known as: cancer treatment-induced bone loss; osteoporosis on hormone therapy

## Sources

- NICE NG131: prostate cancer, diagnosis and management: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng131/chapter/Recommendations
- Prostate Cancer UK: how hormone therapy affects you: https://prostatecanceruk.org/prostate-information-and-support/living-with-prostate-cancer/how-hormone-therapy-affects-you
- Shahinian et al., risk of fracture after androgen deprivation for prostate cancer (NEJM 2005): https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa041943
- Royal Osteoporosis Society: https://theros.org.uk/

## Connected records

- cancers: [Prostate cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/prostate/)
- terms: [Intermittent androgen deprivation (IAD)](https://onco.cc/terms/intermittent-androgen-deprivation/), [Other-cause mortality](https://onco.cc/terms/other-cause-mortality/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/treatment-induced-bone-loss.json