Bone mineral density and adjuvant therapy in breast cancer survivors

Compared to mean values from a US database, premenopausal breast cancer survivors (BCS) had significantly higher whole body bone mineral density (BMD) compared to age and ethnicity matched referents; higher whole body BMD was present in all premenopausal BCS, including those who received chemotherapy, tamoxifen+chemotherapy, or no adjuvant therapy. Postmenopausal BCS who had received no adjuvant therapy also had higher whole body BMD compared to similarly aged women. In contrast, hip and lumbar spine BMD values in BCS were similar to those of the population-based database.