The study, published in British Journal of Urology International, found that hip fracture risk became eight times higher in men between the ages of 50 to 65 years of age.

Data on 62,865 men, of whom 15,716 had suffered some sort of fracture, showed men with prostate cancer were 1.8 times more likely to suffer a fracture and 3.7 times as likely to get a hip fracture. No increased risk of vertebral fractures was detected.

Lead researcher Dr. Bo Abrahamsen, of Copenhagen University Hospital, in Gentofte, said that not only is the risk of hip fracture higher in men with prostate cancer but "the risk remains even when men have recovered from the disease."

The researchers, urologists and endocrinologists from Danish hospitals attached to the University of Southern Denmark and Copenhagen University, plan to establish an initiative focusing on the early diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis in men with prostate cancer.