New test may detect osteoporosis, bone cancer in real-time

A geochemical assay that can measure sensitive calcium isotope ratios is currently in development by researchers and NASA scientists in the hopes of detecting early signs of osteoporosis and bone cancer, according to study findings presented at the Goldschmidt geochemistry conference in Prague this week.

The functionality of the test, which uses mass spectrometry to discern the relative ratios of calcium isotopes 42Ca and 44Ca in bone, was recently tested on NASA scientists in space.

"The big advantage of these measurements is that they show what is happening in the bone, whereas traditional bone health measurements, such as DXA scans, show what has happened,” Ariel Anbar, PhD, of the school of earth and space exploration at Arizona State University, said in a press release. “This means that we can have a real near-time view of what is happening in the bone, rather than comparing before and after, when damage may have already been done.”

The measurements, Anbar said, will hopefully allow researchers to see bone breakdown in osteoporosis, as well as the progress of certain bone cancers, such as multiple myeloma.

Researchers, working together with NASA, measured calcium isotope ratios in the urine of 30 space shuttle astronauts, before, during, and after their flights.

"We were able to confirm that Ca isotopes of the shuttle shifted as expected, meaning that they we could see in more or less real time the ongoing bone loss,” Anbar said. “We did this using a simple urine sample, taken at various points during their flights".

The researchers also analyzed results from a group of 71 patients who either had multiple myeloma or were at risk of multiple myeloma. Patients who tended to lose the lighter 42Ca isotope often had the most active cancer, Anbar said, meaning tests could theoretically help clinicians decide whether or not to treat a patient, for example, if a cancer was growing very slowly.

"At the moment, this is still a test which is in development, but we have shown it can work,” Anbar said. “There is work to be done to further validate the tests, and costs to consider, however the advantage for this methodology is that the patient doesn't have to come to the machine; the measurements can be done with a blood or urine test. And from a scientific point of view, we are delighted that we have the chance to combine geochemistry, biology, and space science to benefit patients.”