Dexa Scan is a Bone Density test. DEXA stands for Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry. It consists of measuring the bone density to a normal range. From this comparison results a T score that is a difference between your bone density and the average. The normal range of T score is between 0 and 1. Patients diagnosed with osteopenia have a T score between -1 and -2.5. Osteoporosis is diagnosed when T score is below -2.5, knowing the strength of the bones helps predict the risk of fracture.



Patient with prostate cancers have a higher risk of dying from bone fractures due to osteoporosis. Osteoporosis can occur both to men and women alike. To men a third of hip fractures is due to osteoporosis. Prostate cancer patients that use for treatment testosterone incativating pharmaceuticals (TIP). 3,4 have a higher risk of osteoporosis induced bone fractures.

Estrogens and testosterone derived from testosterone inhibit the loss of calcium from bone in excess quantities. The routine osteoporosis therapies that works to prevent bone fracture are supplementation with calcium and vitamin D. Calcium carbonate is harder absorbed that calcium citrate. There are side effects of excess calcium intake and that is the increased risk of developing prostate cancer because of the fact that high level of calcium lowers the vitamin D levels.

Vitamin D had proved to inhibit the prostate cancer growth.  Kidneys play a major role in modifying the vitamin D that you take from over the counter products. Two mineral elements, magnesium and boron are involved in the chemical conversion of vitamin D. The prostate cancer in advanced stages can spread to the bone. Parathyroid hormone is the substance secreted by prostate cancer cells.

The cancer cells can process this protein into peptides that affect the growth rate for the cancer cells. There is the risk that by taking synthetic parathyroid hormone the cancer will develop to the bones. Patients with Prostate Cancer are advised to go to their doctors to help them decide the method of prevention of development of osteoporosis. The early diagnosis it is very important for prevention of developing of long term problems. There are new promising drugs that are good in treating the development of osteoporosis.

After a DEXA scan the doctor can determine the degree of bone loss and can decide which available treatment can be used for increasing bone density. For milder cases doctors recommend increased doses of calcium and vitamin D, a regular program of weight bearing. For men with advanced causes of osteoporosis there are not so many available treatments. In the case of prostate cancer doctors don't recommend the testosterone restoration.

The available treatments recently discovered involve using Casodex that in cases when is used alone can prevent loss of bone density. Usually this is used in conjunction with Lupron and Zoladex. Another treatment is Zometa that is a very potent bisphosphonate. This was approved in advanced hormone - refractory prostate cancer.

DEXA scan can be categorized in two different types. One is Central DXA scan or axial done by a large scanning arm that passes over the human body and measure the bone density in the lower spine, the hip and the center of the skeleton. Other different type of DXA scan is the peripheral DXA scan that focuses on measuring bone mineral density on the peripheral parts of the human skeleton such as hand, wrist, or heel.