Bone Metastases Complications and Incidence

Percentages of advanced-stage cancer patients with bone metastases worldwide.

52% of breast and prostate cancer patients and 55% of lung cancer patients with bone metastases will develop painful bone complications if left untreated.

	Mechanism of Action - Bone Metastases Diagnosis & Monitoring Bone Health Nurse Program

Bone complications include:

• Pathologic fractures: vertebral and nonvertebral bone fractures that occur spontaneously or following minor trauma
• Spinal cord compression: Tumor impingement on the spinal cord, causing vertebral compression fractures and/or neurologic impairment
• Need for radiation or surgery to bone: prevention, palliation, or treatment of lesions, pathologic fractures and spinal cord compression

Bone complications may lead to increased morbidity and reduction of patients’ functional independence.[1,2]
Preventing or delaying bone complications can dramatically improve patients’ outcomes.[3]

Read about bone metastases diagnosis and monitoring.

1. Delea T, McKiernan J, Liss M, et al. Cost of skeletal complications in patients with bone metastases of solid tumors. Poster presented at the Federation of European Cancer Societies, 12th European Cancer Conference (ECCO 12); September 24, 2003; Abstract 1.056.
2. Coleman RE. Skeletal complications of malignancy. Cancer. 1997; 80 (suppl): 1588-1594.
3. Major PP, Cook R. Efficacy of bisphosphonates in the management of skeletal complications of bone metastases and selection of clinical endpoints. Am J Clin Oncol. 2002;25(6 Suppl 1):S10-8.