Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 18, 2026

Intra-iliac Artery Injection for Efficient and Selective Modeling of Microscopic Bone Metastasis
07:00

Intra-iliac Artery Injection for Efficient and Selective Modeling of Microscopic Bone Metastasis

Published on: September 26, 2016

The emerging role of bisphosphonates in prostate cancer

Edwin M Posadas1, William L Dahut, James Gulley

  • 1Medical Oncology Clinical Research Unit, Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology, Center for Cancer Research National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, 10 Center Drive, MSC 1750, Building 10, Room 5B52, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.

American Journal of Therapeutics
|January 6, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Bisphosphonates inhibit osteoclasts and are effective for bone density loss. They are increasingly used to manage prostate cancer complications like bone pain and osteoporosis from hormonal therapy.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Pharmacology
  • Bone Metabolism

Background:

  • Bisphosphonates are drugs that inhibit osteoclast activity, primarily used for bone density loss.
  • They are effective in cancers with osteolytic bone metastases, such as breast cancer and multiple myeloma.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the clinical data on bisphosphonate utilization in prostate cancer management.
  • To highlight the efficacy of bisphosphonates in prostate cancer-associated bone complications.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing clinical data and studies.
  • Analysis of bisphosphonate efficacy in prostate cancer patients.

Main Results:

  • Bisphosphonates demonstrate utility in prostate cancer, despite osteosclerotic metastases.
  • Proven impact on osteoporosis, bone pain, and skeletal-related events in prostate cancer.

Conclusions:

  • Bisphosphonates are valuable therapeutic agents for managing bone complications in prostate cancer.
  • Clinical data support the use of bisphosphonates in prostate cancer, particularly for hormonal therapy-induced osteoporosis and metastatic bone disease.

More Related Videos

A Bioluminescent and Fluorescent Orthotopic Syngeneic Murine Model of Androgen-dependent and Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer07:25

A Bioluminescent and Fluorescent Orthotopic Syngeneic Murine Model of Androgen-dependent and Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer

Published on: March 6, 2018

Intra-Cardiac Injection of Human Prostate Cancer Cells to Create a Bone Metastasis Xenograft Mouse Model06:32

Intra-Cardiac Injection of Human Prostate Cancer Cells to Create a Bone Metastasis Xenograft Mouse Model

Published on: November 4, 2022

Related Concept Videos

Cancer Therapies02:49

Cancer Therapies

Cancer therapies are various modes of treatment, such as surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy that are administered to cancer patients.
However, cancer treatments can pose several challenges, as therapies used to kill cancer cells are generally also toxic to normal cells. Moreover, cancer cells mutate rapidly and can develop resistance to chemical agents or radiation therapy. Besides, all types of cancer cells may not respond to the same therapy. Some cancer cells respond to one...
Targeted Cancer Therapies02:57

Targeted Cancer Therapies

The targeted cancer therapies, also known as “molecular targeted therapies,” take advantage of the molecular and genetic differences between the cancer cells and the normal cells. It needs a thorough understanding of the cancer cells to develop drugs that can target specific molecular aspects that drive the growth, progression, and spread of cancer cells without affecting the growth and survival of other normal cells in the body.
There are several types of targeted therapies against specific...
Osteoclasts in Bone Remodeling01:31

Osteoclasts in Bone Remodeling

Osteoclasts are cells responsible for bone resorption and remodeling. They originate from hematopoietic progenitor cells present in the bone marrow. Numerous progenitor cells fuse to form multinucleated cells, each with 10-20 nuclei. A single osteoclast has a diameter of 150 to 200 µM. These cells have ruffled borders that break down the underlying bone tissue and release minerals such as calcium into the blood in bone resorption. Osteoclasts cling to bones with their ruffled edges during bone...
Role of Vitamins in Maintaining Bone Health01:25

Role of Vitamins in Maintaining Bone Health

The growth and maintenance of bone are regulated by a combination of nutritional factors, including vitamins, such as vitamin A, B12, C, D, and K.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is involved in the process of bone remodeling. Retinoic acid, the active metabolite of Vitamin A, has nuclear receptors in osteoblasts and osteoclasts, which are involved in bone remodeling.
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 acts as a cofactor during the formation of osteoblast-related proteins, such as osteocalcin. Vitamin B12 plays a role...
Treatment for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Prostacyclin Receptor Agonists01:23

Treatment for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Prostacyclin Receptor Agonists

Prostacyclin receptor agonists are a class of therapeutic agents integral to managing pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). These drugs operate by mimicking the action of prostaglandin I2, or PGI2, a naturally occurring compound in the body.
These agonists bind to the IPR receptor situated on the plasma membrane of the pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells. This binding triggers a cascade of reactions known as the GS-AC-cAMP-PKA pathway. This pathway results in the relaxation of smooth muscle...