Abstract
Bone is a common site for metastases in patients with advanced breast or prostate cancer, with greater than 65% of patients developing bone metastases. This is hypothesized to be related to the bone marrow microenvironment providing a favorable niche for cancer cell survival and growth. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) can colonize bone marrow niches to become disseminated tumor cells (DTCs). Survival of DTCs in the bone marrow is a function of the unique microenvironment and the ability of these cells to acquire an osteoblast-like phenotype through a process known as osteomimicry. Detecting CTCs in blood or DTCs in bone marrow has been shown to independently predict for disease progression and worse clinical outcomes in patients with breast or prostate cancer. Therapies that reduce levels of CTCs and DTCs may improve clinical outcomes in these patients. Bisphosphonates are bone-targeted agents used to reduce the rate of skeletal-related events in patients with bone metastases. Bisphosphonates such as zoledronic acid have demonstrated potential anticancer activity, and zoledronic acid was recently shown to reduce the persistence and prevalence of DTCs in patients with breast cancer. Research is ongoing to further define the role of bone-targeted therapies in the treatment of cancer.
Keywords: Bisphosphonates, breast cancer, circulating tumor cells, disseminated tumor cells, prostate cancer, zoledronic acid.
Current Cancer Therapy Reviews
Title:The Effects of Bisphosphonates on the Bone Marrow Niche and Circulating and Disseminated Tumor Cells
Volume: 9 Issue: 2
Author(s): Rebecca L. Aft
Affiliation:
Keywords: Bisphosphonates, breast cancer, circulating tumor cells, disseminated tumor cells, prostate cancer, zoledronic acid.
Abstract: Bone is a common site for metastases in patients with advanced breast or prostate cancer, with greater than 65% of patients developing bone metastases. This is hypothesized to be related to the bone marrow microenvironment providing a favorable niche for cancer cell survival and growth. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) can colonize bone marrow niches to become disseminated tumor cells (DTCs). Survival of DTCs in the bone marrow is a function of the unique microenvironment and the ability of these cells to acquire an osteoblast-like phenotype through a process known as osteomimicry. Detecting CTCs in blood or DTCs in bone marrow has been shown to independently predict for disease progression and worse clinical outcomes in patients with breast or prostate cancer. Therapies that reduce levels of CTCs and DTCs may improve clinical outcomes in these patients. Bisphosphonates are bone-targeted agents used to reduce the rate of skeletal-related events in patients with bone metastases. Bisphosphonates such as zoledronic acid have demonstrated potential anticancer activity, and zoledronic acid was recently shown to reduce the persistence and prevalence of DTCs in patients with breast cancer. Research is ongoing to further define the role of bone-targeted therapies in the treatment of cancer.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Aft L. Rebecca, The Effects of Bisphosphonates on the Bone Marrow Niche and Circulating and Disseminated Tumor Cells, Current Cancer Therapy Reviews 2013; 9 (2) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1573394711309020001
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1573394711309020001 |
Print ISSN 1573-3947 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1875-6301 |
Call for Papers in Thematic Issues
Advancements in Lipid Nanoparticle Delivery Systems for mRNA Therapeutics
The thematic issue will focus on key areas such as lipid nanoparticles, mRNA therapeutics, drug delivery systems, nanotechnology in medicine, targeted therapy, non-viral vectors, precision medicine, and biomedical engineering.read more
Current progress in Protein Degradation and Cancer Therapy
argeted Protein Degradation is gaining momentum in cancer therapy, it facilitate targeting undruggable proteins, it overcome cancer resistance and avoid undesirable side effects. Thus small molecules degraders have emerged as novel therapeutic strategy. Targeted protein degradation (TPD), the process of eliminating a protein of interest hold a great promise for ...read more
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
Related Articles
-
New Entrants into Clinical Trials for Targeted Therapy of Breast Cancer: An Insight
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry The Urokinase Receptor and its Structural Homologue C4.4A in Human Cancer: Expression, Prognosis and Pharmacological Inhibition
Current Medicinal Chemistry MicroRNA Therapeutics in Neurological Disease
Current Pharmaceutical Design COX-2 and Colorectal Cancer
Current Pharmaceutical Design Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors: Recent Insights from Basic to Clinical Knowledge & Patenting of Anti-Cancer Actions
Recent Patents on Anti-Cancer Drug Discovery New Insights into Neoangiogenesis and Breast Cancer Development and Progression
Current Angiogenesis (Discontinued) Nanocarriers Based Anticancer Drugs: Current Scenario and Future Perceptions
Current Drug Targets Gene Therapy for Chronic Granulomatous Disease: Current Status and Future Perspectives
Current Gene Therapy Patent Selections
Recent Patents on Anti-Infective Drug Discovery MicroRNA: Biogenesis, Function and Role in Cancer
Current Genomics Does Calprotectin Represent a Regulatory Factor in Host Defense or a Drug Target in Inflammatory Disease?
Endocrine, Metabolic & Immune Disorders - Drug Targets Possible Consequences of Blocking Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 1
Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology Histone Deacetylase (HDAC) Inhibitors - emerging roles in neuronal memory, learning, synaptic plasticity and neural regeneration
Current Neuropharmacology Natural Products in Structure-Assisted Design of Molecular Cancer Therapeutics
Current Pharmaceutical Design The Indolylcoumarin COUFIN Exhibits Potent Activity Against Renal Carcinoma Cells without Affecting Hematopoietic System
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Beneficiary and Adverse Effects of Phytoestrogens: A Potential Constituent of Plant-based Diet
Current Pharmaceutical Design Current Trends in the Chemotherapy of Colorectal Cancer
Current Medicinal Chemistry In vivo Radiosensitization of Human Glioma U87 Cells Induced by Upregulated Expression of DUSP-2 after Treatment with Curcumin
Current Signal Transduction Therapy Microenvironmental Interactions in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: Hints for Pathogenesis and Identification of Targets for Rational Therapy
Current Pharmaceutical Design Computational Methods and Algorithms for Mass-Spectrometry Based Differential Proteomics
Current Proteomics