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Fracture Risk in Different Cancer Types in Individuals with Cancer Compared to Adults without Cancer: A Population-based Study from Southeast of Iran

Fariba YADOLAHI

Patients with cancer may be at increased risk of fractures. Fractures result in morbidity and mortality and reduced quality of life. Addressing the morbidity and mortality of cancer is an important public health concern. This is the first study  the risk of fracture in patients with various types of cancer in the southeast of Iran.The Study aims to investigate the associations of cancer diagnoses with the risk of fractures among individuals with cancer compared with the fracture risk among adults without a history of cancer.We performed a study using population-level healthcare administrative databases from the southern province of Iran, from January 2014 to December 2024. Diagnoses were identified through the Iran Cancer Registry. In individuals with cancer who were more recently diagnosed (<5 years since diagnosis) or who had chemotherapy.This study included 18722 individuals with cancer (mean [SD] age, 66.9 [6.2] years; [79.1%] female) and 16,357 noncancer individuals (mean [SD] age, 67.3[8.3] years; [83.6%] female). An increased risk of fractures, within the first year after diagnosis, was seen in patients with primary bone cancer (OR_3.42, 95% CI: 1.33_7.06), multiple myeloma (R_4.91, 95% CI: 2.81_8.12), metastases to the bone (OR_5.178, 95% CI:3.49_6.99), metastases to other organs than bone (OR_1.91, 95% CI: 1.61_2.18), lung cancer (OR_1.90, 95% CI: 1.51_2.38), and cancer of the liver, gall bladder and pancreas (2.14, 95% CI: 1.39_3.21), cancer of the breast (2.23, 95% CI: 1.41_3.22). In patients with prostate cancer, an increase in fracture risk was observed over time within the first year after diagnosis.This study showed fractures associated with various cancers in patients with cancer and significantly affects bone health. The findings of our study are concordant with prior studies demonstrating an increased fracture risk in patients with solid cancers.Education of patients, lifestyle modification can improve patient outcomes. This may have implications for which patients should be selected for prevention against fractures. Patients with cancer are at modest risk of fractures compared to non-cancer controls, particularly for breast, prostate, and multiple myeloma.