Bone Quality Test (BQT) Scores of Fingernails in Postmenopausal Patients Treated with Adjuvant Letrozole or Tamoxifen for Early Breast Cancer

Abstract

Background: The relationship between nail and bone may be measurable, thus making the fingernail a potentially valuable tool for assessing bone health for women receiving treatment for breast cancer. In the BIG 1-98 Fingernail Pilot Substudy, Bone Quality Test (BQT) scores of fingernails were measured at two assessment timepoints. Methods: Thirteen eligible patients were enrolled into the substudy during their treatment with tamoxifen (four patients) or letrozole (nine patients). Two fingernails were tested and BQT scores averaged for two assessments six months apart. Results: BQT scores collected six months later (second assessment) significantly decreased compared with those at first collection (p = 0.007) regardless of treatment and prior fracture. Conclusion: The reduction of BQT scores observed in the patients of our small exploratory study during exposure to bone-altering breast cancer treatments is an incentive for larger studies using this technique. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Department(s)

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering

Comments

National Cancer Institute, Grant CA-75362

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

0960-9776

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2023 Elsevier, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Jan 2009

PubMed ID

19243946

Link to Full Text

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