A form of prostate cancer therapy may lead to bone decay, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

Over the course of one year, a team of investigators monitored 26 prostate cancer patients who were being treated with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), which may cause bone degeneration. Throughout the trial, the participants received regular measurements of their sex steroid levels, bone mineral density and bone turnover markers.

The measurements showed that the men suffered deficiencies in their sex steroid levels and slight bone decay, which was caused by ADT. Also, the researchers found that the lack of testosterone was associated with bone fragility.

Emma Hamilton and Mathis Grossmann, lead authors of the study, reported that “this technology may be a useful test in predicting fractures in patients, but further research is needed in identifying individuals at greatest fracture risk as well as optimal therapeutic strategies.”

In 2006, of the 203,315 men living in the United States who were diagnosed with prostate cancer, a total of 28,372 patients had died from the disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).