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Updated: Aug 17, 2026

Models of Bone Metastasis
Published on: September 4, 2012
Mechanisms of cancer metastasis to the bone
Juan Juan Yin1, Claire B Pollock, Kathleen Kelly
1Cell and Cancer Biology Branch, NCI, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Abstract:
Some of the most common human cancers, including breast cancer, prostate cancer, and lung cancer, metastasize with avidity to bone. What is the basis for their preferential growth within the bone microenvironment? Bidirectional interactions between tumor cells and cells that make up bone result in a selective advantage for tumor growth and can lead to bone destruction or new bone matrix deposition. This review discusses our current understanding of the molecular components and mechanisms that are responsible for those interactions.
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