Bone Health in Newly Diagnosed Female Breast Cancer Patients in China: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract Background and Purpose Bone health problem is one of the important concomitant diseases of breast cancer (BC). This study aimed to investigate the status of bone health of newly diagnosed female BC patients in China. Methods The study included 636 newly diagnosed female BC patients and 268 physical examination women (control group). The status of bone mineral density and bone metabolism of participants were analyzed. The correlation between breast cancer and abnormal bone mass (ABM) was analyzed by logistic regression. Results Approximately 15.3% of BC patients resented with hypocalcemia after adjusting by albumin. 25-OHVitD deficiency or insufficiency was observed in 92.3% of BC patients. 63.2% of BC patients had ABM (38.0% osteopenia and 25.2% osteoporosis). ABM prevalence in BC patients under 40 was significantly higher at 40.8% compared to 8% in the age-matched control group. The severity of bone loss correlated with a more pronounced increase in bone transformation indexes. Logistic regression analysis showed that the risk of ABM and osteoporosis in newly diagnosed BC patients was 5.5-fold and 3.4-fold compared with control group, respectively. All subtypes of BC patients had a markedly higher risk of developing ABM than control group. The risk of ABM in BC patients under 45 was nearly 9 times higher than in the same age group. Conclusion Vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency, osteopenia, and osteoporosis were prevalent in newly diagnosed female BC patients. Regardless of age and breast cancer subtypes, breast cancer patients face a higher risk of abnormal bone mass compared to those physical examination women, especially among the young.