Less strict intervention thresholds for the FRAX and TBS-adjusted FRAX predict clinical fractures in osteopenic postmenopausal women with no prior fractures

Can TBS reference values be a valid indicator for clinical vertebral fracture? A cross-sectional study

INTRODUCTION

Trabecular bone score (TBS) is partially independent of fracture risk. Reference values for TBS have not been established in official guidelines, and thus clinicians often have difficulty interpreting TBS results. This study aimed to investigate whether reference values for TBS could be a valid indicator for clinical vertebral fracture (CVF).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This cross-sectional study involved 231 women with CVF and 563 women without CVF aged 60-90 years who underwent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry during 2019-2023. They were divided into osteoporosis, osteopenia, and normal groups according to bone mineral density of the lumbar spine. Reference values for TBS were defined as low (≤ 1.23), intermediate (1.23-1.31), and high (≥ 1.31).

RESULTS

Among patients without anti-osteoporosis treatment (n = 476), the proportion with low TBS was 36.7% in the CVF group and 10.7% in the control group. The proportion with CVF was higher in the low TBS group than in the intermediate and high TBS groups, especially in the osteoporosis group (p < 0.001). The odds ratio for CVF was higher in the low TBS group than in the intermediate and high especially in patients with normal BMD and osteoporosis. The TBS cut-off values for incidence of CVF in the osteoporosis, osteopenia, and normal groups were 1.224, 1.319, and 1.322, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The reference value for low TBS (≤ 1.23) was useful as an indicator for CVF, especially in patients with osteoporosis. It is expected that reference values for TBS will be established in official guidelines in the future.

Update on the clinical use of trabecular bone score (TBS) in the management of osteoporosis: results of an expert group meeting organized by the European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases (ESCEO), and the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) under the auspices of WHO Collaborating Center for Epidemiology of Musculoskeletal Health and Aging

PURPOSE

Trabecular bone score (TBS) is a grey-level textural measurement acquired from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry lumbar spine images and is a validated index of bone microarchitecture. In 2015, a Working Group of the European Society on Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases (ESCEO) published a review of the TBS literature, concluding that TBS predicts hip and major osteoporotic fracture, at least partly independent of bone mineral density (BMD) and clinical risk factors. It was also concluded that TBS is potentially amenable to change as a result of pharmacological therapy. Further evidence on the utility of TBS has since accumulated in both primary and secondary osteoporosis, and the introduction of FRAX and BMD T-score adjustment for TBS has accelerated adoption. This position paper therefore presents a review of the updated scientific literature and provides expert consensus statements and corresponding operational guidelines for the use of TBS.

METHODS

An Expert Working Group was convened by the ESCEO and a systematic review of the evidence undertaken, with defined search strategies for four key topics with respect to the potential use of TBS: (1) fracture prediction in men and women; (2) initiating and monitoring treatment in postmenopausal osteoporosis; (3) fracture prediction in secondary osteoporosis; and (4) treatment monitoring in secondary osteoporosis. Statements to guide the clinical use of TBS were derived from the review and graded by consensus using the Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach.

RESULTS

A total of 96 articles were reviewed and included data on the use of TBS for fracture prediction in men and women, from over 20 countries. The updated evidence shows that TBS enhances fracture risk prediction in both primary and secondary osteoporosis, and can, when taken with BMD and clinical risk factors, inform treatment initiation and the choice of antiosteoporosis treatment. Evidence also indicates that TBS provides useful adjunctive information in monitoring treatment with long-term denosumab and anabolic agents. All expert consensus statements were voted as strongly recommended.

CONCLUSION

The addition of TBS assessment to FRAX and/or BMD enhances fracture risk prediction in primary and secondary osteoporosis, adding useful information for treatment decision-making and monitoring. The expert consensus statements provided in this paper can be used to guide the integration of TBS in clinical practice for the assessment and management of osteoporosis. An example of an operational approach is provided in the appendix. This position paper presents an up-to-date review of the evidence base, synthesised through expert consensus statements, which informs the implementation of Trabecular Bone Score in clinical practice.

Measuring Drug Therapy Effect on Osteoporotic Fracture Risk by Trabecular Bone Lacunarity: The LOTO Study

An MRI method providing one parameter (TBLβ: trabecular-bone-lacunarity-parameter-β) that is sensitive to trabecular bone architecture (TBA) changes with aging and osteoporosis is under study as a new tool in the early diagnosis of bone fragility fracture. A cross-sectional and prospective observational study (LOTO: Lacunarity Of Trabecular bone in Osteoporosis) on over-50s women, at risk for bone fragility fracture, was designed to validate the method. From the baseline data, we observed that in women with prevalent vertebral fractures (VF+), TBA was differently characterized by TBLβ when osteoporosis treatment is considered. Here we verify the potential of TBLβ as an index of osteoporosis treatment efficacy. Untreated (N = 156) and treated (N = 123) women were considered to assess differences in TBLβ related to osteoporosis treatment. Prevalent VFs were found in 31% of subjects, 63% of which were under osteoporosis medications. The results show that TBLβ discriminates between VF+ and VF− patients (p = 0.004). This result is mostly stressed in untreated subjects. Treatment, drug therapy in particular (89% Bisphosphonates), significantly counteracts the difference between VF+ and VF− within and between groups: TBLβ values in treated patients are comparable to untreated VF− and statistically higher than untreated VF+ (p = 0.014) ones. These results highlight the potential role of TBLβ as an index of treatment efficacy.

Fractal lacunarity of trabecular bone in vertebral MRI to predict osteoporotic fracture risk in over-fifties women. The LOTO study

BACKGROUND

Osteoporotic fractures are a major cause of morbidity in the elderly. Menopausal women represent the population with the highest risk of early osteoporosis onset, often accompanied by vertebral fractures (VF). Bone mineral density (BMD) is commonly assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) for osteoporosis diagnosis; however, BMD alone does not represent a significant predictor of fracture risk. Bone microarchitecture, instead, arises as a determinant of bone fragility independent of BMD. High-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an effective noninvasive/nonionizing tool for in vivo characterisation of trabecular bone microarchitecture (TBA). We have previously set up an MRI method able to characterise TBA changes in aging and osteoporosis by one parameter, trabecular bone lacunarity parameter β (TBLβ). Fractal lacunarity was used for TBA texture analysis as it describes discontinuity of bone network and size of bone marrow spaces, changes of which increase the risk of bone fracture. This study aims to assess the potential of TBLβ method as a tool for osteoporotic fracture risk.

METHODS

An observational, cross-sectional, and prospective study on over-50s women at risk for VF was designed. TBLβ, our index of osteoporotic fracture risk, is the main outcome measure. It was calculated on lumbar vertebra axial images, acquired by 1.5 T MRI spin-echo technique, from 279 osteopenic/osteoporotic women with/without prior VF. Diagnostic power of TBLβ method, by Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curve and other diagnostic accuracy measurements were compared with lumbar spine DXA-BMD.

RESULTS

Baseline results show that TBLβ is able to discriminate patients with/without prevalent VF (p = 0.003). AUC (area under the curve from ROC) is 0.63 for TBLβ, statistically higher (p = 0.012) than BMD one (0.53). Contribution of TBLβ to prevalent VF is statistically higher (p < 0.001) than BMD (sensitivity: 66% vs. 52% respectively; OR: 3.20, p < 0.0001 for TBLβ vs. 1.31, p = 0.297 for BMD). Preliminary 1-year prospective results suggest that TBA contribution to incident VF is even higher (sensitivity: 73% for TBLβ vs. 55% for BMD; RR: 3.00, p = 0.002 for TBLβ vs. 1.31, p = 0.380 for BMD).

CONCLUSION

Results from this study further highlight the usefulness of TBLβ as a biomarker of TBA degeneration and an index of osteoporotic fracture risk.

Evaluation of baseline fracture risk in younger postmenopausal women with breast cancer using different risk assessment methods

OBJECTIVE

Controversy exists about the impact of bone mineral density (BMD) and fracture risk in newly diagnosed patients with breast cancer (BC). It is presumed that there are differences in BMD between women with BC and healthy controls. BMD is therefore considered as a potential marker to predict BC risk. This study was conducted to investigate the association of BMD, trabecular bone score (TBS) and fracture risk in younger postmenopausal women with hormone responsive BC.

METHODS

Overall, 343 women were examined. Women with BC were matched to a control group of the general population. Forty-nine women and fifty-nine controls were included in the final analysis. All subjects underwent dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) of the lumbar spine, femoral neck, and the total hip to evaluate bone mineral density. The 10-year fracture risk for a major osteoporotic fracture was assessed using the FRAX-score and the TBS-adjusted FRAX-Score, respectively.

RESULTS

Lumbar and femoral neck BMD were similar in BC patients and controls. No difference was found for TBS of the spine (1.38 ± 0.1 vs.1.36 ± 0.09) in the BC and the control group, respectively (p = 0.19). The 10- year probability for a major osteoporotic fracture (MoF) or femoral neck (FN) fracture was 6.1 (± 2.6%) and 0.9 (± 1.2%) in the BC group vs. 6.7 (± 3.5%) (p = 0.33) and 0.9 (± 1.1%) (p = 0.73) in the control group.

CONCLUSION

Postmenopausal women younger than 60 years with breast cancer do not show any differences in baseline BMD, TBS, or TBS adjusted FRAX in comparison to controls.

Biologic treatment in comparison to methotrexate has positive effect on trabecular bone score in rheumatoid arthritis patients: 1-year follow-up

INTRODUCTION

Biologic treatment may influence activity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), as well as areal bone mineral density (aBMD). Decreased aBMD explains the fracture risk in RA patients only partially. The trabecular bone score (TBS), novel texture parameter reflects degradation of trabecular bone and therefore could be used as a further parameter to predict the risk of fragility fracture.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the effects of biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) and conventional synthetic (cs) DMARDs (methotrexate) on aBMD and TBS in patients suffering from active RA.

METHODS

A 12 month prospective trial was performed in 105 active RA patients. The cohort was divided into two groups: group 1 (n = 84, mean age 54 yrs) treated with bDMARDs and group 2 (n = 21, mean age 53 yrs) treated with csDMARDs. The mean daily dose of prednisone at baseline was 6.2 and 6.6 mg (NS) between group 1 and 2, respectively. Patients with anti-osteoporotic treatment were not included. All patients received calcium (600 mg) and cholecalciferol (800IU). Lumbar spine (LS) and FN aBMD (by DXA, Hologic) were measured at baseline and after 1 year of treatment. TBS was generated using TBS Insight software (Medimaps, Switzerland).

RESULTS

Treatment with bDMARDS led to decrease in mean prednisone dose and to increase of 1.7% (p < 0.05) in TBS and OC levels of 26% (p < 0.001) but not on aBMD and CTX after treatment. The greatest TBS increase (2.7%, p < 0.05) was observed in premenopausal females within group 1. No effect of csDMARDS on measured parameters was observed.

CONCLUSION

Treatment of patients suffering from active RA with bDMARDs in comparison to csDMARDS led to increase of TBS, with greater increment of TBS in premenopausal women, despite no change in aBMD.