Aim: To determine the levels of Wnt inhibitors in patients treated with aromatase inhibitors (AIs) prior to therapy and to investigate their association with bone mineral density (BMD) and lifestyle parameters.
Methods: 137 breast cancer patients were divided into a group treated with 1 mg of anastrozole and a group w/o anastrozole therapy. Serum concentrations of sclerostin and dickkopf1 (DKK1) were measured by ELISA. BMD was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Lifestyle factors were investigated by a self-reported questionnaire.
Results: Sclerostin was significantly higher in the AI-treated group (31.8 pmol/L vs. 24.1 pmol/L; p < 0.001), whereas DKK1 was significantly lower in the AI-treated group (24.3 pmol/L vs. 26.02 pmol/L; p < 0.001). Total hip and femoral neck BMD were significantly lower in the AI-treated group.
Conclusion: AI treatment was associated with increased levels of sclerostin and decreased levels of DKK1.
Keywords: Wnt signaling pathway; aromatase inhibitors; bone density; breast neoplasms.