CONTEXT: Pelvic fractures, including hip fractures, are a major source of morbidity and mortality in older women. Although therapeutic pelvic irradiation could increase the risk of such fractures, this effect has not been studied. OBJECTIVE: To determine if women who undergo pelvic irradiation for pelvic malignancies (anal, cervical, or rectal cancers) have a higher rate of pelvic fracture than women with pelvic malignancies who do not undergo irradiation. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) cancer registry data linked to Medicare claims data. A total of 6428 women aged 65 years and older diagnosed with pelvic malignancies from 1986 through 1999 were included. We compared results for women who did (n = 2855) vs did not (n = 3573) undergo radiation therapy. To assess the influence of selection bias, we also evaluated the effect of irradiation on osteoporotic fractures in nonirradiated sites (arm and spine). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: We evaluated the effect of irradiation on the incidence of pelvic fractures over time, and adjusted for potential confounders using a proportional hazards model. RESULTS: Women who underwent radiation therapy were more likely to have a pelvic fracture than women who did not undergo radiation therapy (cumulative 5-year fracture rate, 14.0% vs 7.5% in women with anal cancer, 8.2% vs 5.9% in women with cervical cancer, and 11.2% vs 8.7% in women with rectal cancer); the difference was statistically significant and most fractures (90%) were hip fractures. We controlled for potential confounders including age, race, cancer stage, and geographic location. The impact of irradiation varied by cancer site: treatment for anal cancer was associated with a higher risk of pelvic fractures (hazard ratio, 3.16; 95% confidence interval, 1.48-6.73); than for cervical cancer (hazard ratio, 1.66; 95% confidence interval, 1.06-2.59); or rectal cancer (hazard ratio, 1.65; 95% confidence interval, 1.33-2.05). No statistically significant difference was found in the rate of arm or spine fractures between the irradiated and nonirradiated groups (hazard ratio, 1.15; 95% confidence interval, 0.89-1.48). CONCLUSIONS: Pelvic irradiation substantially increases the risk of pelvic fractures in older women. Given the high baseline risk of pelvic fracture, this finding is of particular concern.
CONTEXT: Pelvic fractures, including hip fractures, are a major source of morbidity and mortality in older women. Although therapeutic pelvic irradiation could increase the risk of such fractures, this effect has not been studied. OBJECTIVE: To determine if women who undergo pelvic irradiation for pelvic malignancies (anal, cervical, or rectal cancers) have a higher rate of pelvic fracture than women with pelvic malignancies who do not undergo irradiation. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) cancer registry data linked to Medicare claims data. A total of 6428 women aged 65 years and older diagnosed with pelvic malignancies from 1986 through 1999 were included. We compared results for women who did (n = 2855) vs did not (n = 3573) undergo radiation therapy. To assess the influence of selection bias, we also evaluated the effect of irradiation on osteoporotic fractures in nonirradiated sites (arm and spine). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: We evaluated the effect of irradiation on the incidence of pelvic fractures over time, and adjusted for potential confounders using a proportional hazards model. RESULTS:Women who underwent radiation therapy were more likely to have a pelvic fracture than women who did not undergo radiation therapy (cumulative 5-year fracture rate, 14.0% vs 7.5% in women with anal cancer, 8.2% vs 5.9% in women with cervical cancer, and 11.2% vs 8.7% in women with rectal cancer); the difference was statistically significant and most fractures (90%) were hip fractures. We controlled for potential confounders including age, race, cancer stage, and geographic location. The impact of irradiation varied by cancer site: treatment for anal cancer was associated with a higher risk of pelvic fractures (hazard ratio, 3.16; 95% confidence interval, 1.48-6.73); than for cervical cancer (hazard ratio, 1.66; 95% confidence interval, 1.06-2.59); or rectal cancer (hazard ratio, 1.65; 95% confidence interval, 1.33-2.05). No statistically significant difference was found in the rate of arm or spine fractures between the irradiated and nonirradiated groups (hazard ratio, 1.15; 95% confidence interval, 0.89-1.48). CONCLUSIONS: Pelvic irradiation substantially increases the risk of pelvic fractures in older women. Given the high baseline risk of pelvic fracture, this finding is of particular concern.
Authors: Gabriel M Pagnotti; Benjamin J Adler; Danielle E Green; M Ete Chan; Danielle M Frechette; Kenneth R Shroyer; Wesley G Beamer; Janet Rubin; Clinton T Rubin Journal: Bone Date: 2012-05-11 Impact factor: 4.398
Authors: Xu Cao; Xiangwei Wu; Deborah Frassica; Bing Yu; Lijuan Pang; Lingling Xian; Mei Wan; Weiqi Lei; Michael Armour; Erik Tryggestad; John Wong; Chun Yi Wen; William Weijia Lu; Frank J Frassica Journal: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A Date: 2011-01-10 Impact factor: 11.205
Authors: Michael P Herman; Scott Kopetz; Priya R Bhosale; Cathy Eng; John M Skibber; Miguel A Rodriguez-Bigas; Barry W Feig; George J Chang; Marc E Delclos; Sunil Krishnan; Christopher H Crane; Prajnan Das Journal: Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys Date: 2009-01-13 Impact factor: 7.038
Authors: Megan E Oest; Connor G Policastro; Kenneth A Mann; Nicholas D Zimmerman; Timothy A Damron Journal: J Bone Miner Res Date: 2017-10-04 Impact factor: 6.741
Authors: Kathleen M Schmeler; Anuja Jhingran; Revathy B Iyer; Charlotte C Sun; Patricia J Eifel; Pamela T Soliman; Pedro T Ramirez; Michael Frumovitz; Diane C Bodurka; Anil K Sood Journal: Cancer Date: 2010-02-01 Impact factor: 6.860