[Encounter of cancer cells with bone. The bone microenvironment and cancer metastases].

ABSTRACT

Bone is one of the most preferential metastatic target sites for cancers. However, based on the anatomical structure of the vascular system, bone is not recognized as a preferential metastatic target. Therefore, the biological crosstalk between metastatic cancer cells and bone is critical to the development and progression of bone metastases. Bone microenvironments possess unique biological features characterized by abundant growth factors and diverse cellular network including osteoblasts, osteoclasts and hematopietic cells. Cancers develop bone metastases by utilizing these unique bone environments for colonization and bone destruction. Better understandings of precise molecular mechanisms underlying cancer and bone crosstalk would contribute to the development of new therapeutic approaches for the treatment of bone metastasis at molecular levels.