Children With Cancer Have Bone Risk

Physicians caring for children with cancer should look for signs of bone fragility caused by disease and treatment, says a Canadian review.

A review, published in the journal of the American Cancer Society, reveals that the combination of sedentary behaviors caused by the chronic illness and inhibition of bone growth and mineralization as side effects of treatments put these children at real risk for bone problems during their lifetime, including bone necrosis and fractures related to osteoporosis.

The review says the risk can be mitigated through early management, including exercise and the judicious use of bisphosphonates, according to Dr. Alessandra Sala of McMaster University in Hamilton and Universita di Milano Bicocca in Milan.

The researchers say there are two factors that negatively affect bone turnover in children with cancer — patients with cancer are less physically active, and chemotherapy and cranial radiotherapy are linked to decreased bone formation and abnormally low bone mineral density.

The findings are published in the April 1 issue of the journal Cancer.