Loss of bone mineral density and secondary hyperparathyroidism are complications of autologous stem cell transplantation.

Patients who underwent autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) are prone to decreased bone mineral density (BMD). We measured BMD in 180 patients who underwent ASCT for hematologic malignancies. Patients were evaluated with a median of 6.2 years after ASCT. Twenty patients who received only chemotherapy were evaluated as controls. The loss of bone mass was greater during the first year after ASCT, since majority of patients recover BMD and normalize bone turnover markers during the following years. After ASCT, over half of the patients show osteopenia or osteoporosis independent of the sex. According to the results of other groups, our results emphasize the potential usefulness of antiresorptive agents to prevent or treat post-ASCT osteopenia or osteoporosis, and the importance of the measurement of BMD as an integral component to the follow-up of ASCT.