Childhood ca survivors at risk for osteoporosis. (Heightened Awareness Urged).

HOUSTON -- Of 93 young adult survivors of childhood cancer, 11 had bone mineral densities in the osteoporotic range and 33 had osteopenia, Dr. Jyotika K. Fernandes reported at a conference on adolescent and young adult leukemias.

Antineoplastic therapy, including chemotherapy and radiation, may be a contributing factor to the premature development of osteoporosis in cancer survivors. Malignancies during years of growth and bone formation also may be a factor, commented Dr. Fernandes, an endocrinologist at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston.

Dr. Fernandes and her associates called for a heightened awareness of potential skeletal changes and "meticulous intervention" in patients with a history of childhood cancer.

The 93 subjects were at least 16 years old, with an average age of 26. Their cancer diagnoses were made at least 5 years before study enrollment, and the average age at cancer diagnosis was 8. ...