Bone remodeling markers: assessment of fracture risk and fracture risk reduction

There is an increasing repertoire of laboratory tests available for assessing the bone remodeling process. Biochemical markers of bone remodeling can be measured in serum or urine, and have a number of potential roles in the management of fracture risk. Differences in remodeling between individuals might be related to fracture risk and could be used to target therapy. Change in remodeling with therapy could be related to fracture risk reduction and the choice of therapy could be influenced by knowledge of bone remodeling. Biochemical therapeutic monitoring may improve patient understanding and therapeutic adherence. The rate of bone remodeling is weakly predictive of fracture risk in individuals who are not receiving therapy; however, it is not clear whether this is independent of other risk factors. There is increasing evidence that change in bone mineral density does not explain fracture risk reduction with antiresorptive therapies, and that therapeutic benefit might be explained by change in bone turnover. Additional studies and information are required to allow these scientific advances to be translated into cost-effective and validated clinical protocols. Optimizing the precision and accuracy of bone turnover assessment remains an important priority.