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Updated: Apr 8, 2026
Intra-iliac Artery Injection for Efficient and Selective Modeling of Microscopic Bone Metastasis
Published on: September 26, 2016
Emerging drugs for the treatment of bone metastasis
Francesco Pantano1, Michele Iuliani1, Alice Zoccoli1
1a 1 Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome, Medical Oncology Department , Via Alvaro del Portillo 200, 00128 Rome, Italy +39 062 254 191 17 ; +39 062 254 119 33; m.iuliani@unicampus.it.
Introduction:
Bone metastases are virtually incurable resulting in significant disease morbidity, reduced quality of life and mortality. Bone provides a unique microenvironment whose local interactions with tumor cells offer novel targets for therapeutic interventions. Increased understanding of the pathogenesis of bone disease has led to the discovery and clinical utility of bone-targeted agents other than bisphosphonates and denosumab, currently, the standard of care in this setting.
Areas Covered:
In this review, we present the recent advances in molecular targeted therapies focusing on therapies that inhibit bone resorption and/or stimulate bone formation and novel anti-tumoral agents that exerts significant effects on skeletal metastases, nowadays available in clinical practice or in phase of development.
Expert Opinion:
New emergent bone target therapies radium-223, mTOR inhibitors, anti-androgens have demonstrated the ability to increase overall survival in bone metastatic patients, other compounds, such as ET-1 and SRC inhibitors, up to now failed to clearly confirm in clinical trials their promising preclinical data.
Insights
New bone-targeting therapies show promise for incurable bone metastases. Some agents like radium-223 improve survival, while others require further clinical validation.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Skeletal Biology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Bone metastases significantly increase morbidity and mortality.
- The bone microenvironment presents unique therapeutic targets.
- Novel bone-targeted agents are emerging beyond current standards of care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent advances in molecular targeted therapies for bone metastases.
- To focus on agents inhibiting bone resorption or stimulating bone formation.
- To discuss novel anti-tumoral agents impacting skeletal metastases.
Main Methods:
- Review of current literature on bone metastasis therapies.
- Focus on molecular targeted therapies and novel anti-tumoral agents.
- Analysis of agents in clinical practice and development.
Main Results:
- Radium-223, mTOR inhibitors, and anti-androgens improve survival in bone metastatic patients.
- Emerging therapies demonstrate potential in clinical settings.
- Some agents (ET-1, SRC inhibitors) require further clinical trial confirmation.
Conclusions:
- New bone-targeted therapies offer improved survival for metastatic bone disease.
- Ongoing research is crucial for validating novel therapeutic strategies.
- Understanding bone microenvironment interactions is key for future treatments.
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