title: Natural history of skeletal-related events in patients with breast, lung, or prostate cancer and metastases to bone: a 15-year study in two large US health systems.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To document the risk of skeletal complications in patients with bone metastases from breast cancer (BC), lung cancer (LC), or prostate cancer (PC) in routine clinical practice.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used data from two large US health systems to identify patients aged ≥18 years with primary BC, LC, or PC and newly diagnosed bone metastases between January 1, 1995 and December 31, 2009. Beginning with the date of diagnosis of bone metastasis, we estimated the cumulative incidence of skeletal-related events (SREs) (spinal cord compression, pathologic fracture, radiation to bone, bone surgery), based on review of medical records, accounting for death as a competing risk.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We identified a total of 621 BC, 477 LC, and 721 PC patients with newly diagnosed bone metastases. SREs were present at diagnosis of bone metastasis in 22.4, 22.4, and 10.0 % of BC, LC, and PC patients, respectively. Relatively few LC or PC patients received intravenous bisphosphonates (14.8 and 20.2 %, respectively); use was higher in patients with BC, however (55.8 %). In BC, cumulative incidence of SREs during follow-up was 38.7 % at 6 months, 45.4 % at 12 months, and 54.2 % at 24 months; in LC, it was 41.0, 45.4, and 47.7 %; and in PC, it was 21.5, 30.4, and 41.9 %. More than one half of patients with bone metastases had evidence of SREs (BC: 62.6 %; LC: 58.7 %; PC: 51.7 %), either at diagnosis of bone metastases or subsequently.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SREs are a frequent complication in patients with solid tumors and bone metastases, and are much more common than previously recognized in women with BC.
authors.affiliation: Policy Analysis Inc. (PAI), Four Davis Court, Brookline, MA, 02445, USA, goster@pai2.com.
authors.forename: Gerry
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Oster
authors.forename: Lois
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lamerato
authors.forename: Andrew G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Glass
authors.forename: Kathryn E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Richert-Boe
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lopez
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Akshara
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Richhariya
authors.forename: Tracy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dodge
authors.forename: Greg G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Wolff
authors.forename: Arun
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Balakumaran
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Edelsberg
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000556:secondary*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D004164:Diphosphonates / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D005598:Fractures, Spontaneous / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013117:Spinal Cord Compression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D004164:Diphosphonates