Radiation Dangers Among Older Women

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Radiation is often an effective way to treat various cancers, but a new study shows it is not without risk, especially among older women. Researchers from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis found radiation in the pelvic region can increase a woman's risk for hip fracture -- a major cause of morbidity and mortality.

Nancy Baxter, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues, studied 6,428 women with anal, cervical or rectal cancers. All study participants were older than 65. They discovered the risk of fracture was significantly higher in the women treated with radiation when compared to those not receiving radiation treatment. The highest risk was among women with anal cancer. They had a three-fold increased risk for pelvic fracture.

These findings are important because of the compounding effects of hip fractures. Within one year of suffering a hip fracture, 10 percent to 20 percent more women die than expected for their age group. The number of deaths due to hip fracture is comparable to the number of deaths due to pancreatic cancer and is only slightly lower than the number of deaths caused by breast cancer.

Following a fracture, 50 percent of women who are able to walk before the fracture are no longer able to do so independently. The cost to the health care system is also high: It is estimated, in 1995 osteoporotic fractures cost the United States nearly $9 billion.

Researchers mention women in this age group are already at an increased risk for hip fracture, meaning these findings should not be generalized to other groups.

Based on these findings, Dr. Baxter suggests older women in need of radiation treatment in the pelvic region should potentially be targeted for preventative strategies, and these strategies should be evaluated in future studies. She also suggests that it may be beneficial for future studies to look for alternative ways to minimize the dose of radiation received by the bone in this group.

This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.

SOURCE: The Journal of the American Medical Association, 2005; 294:2587-2593