Cutting edge developments in bone oncology - Highlights from the Cancer and Bone Society 2024 annual meeting

The 2024 Annual Conference of the Cancer and Bone Society (CABS), held jointly with the Bone Research Society at the University of Sheffield, highlighted the Society's enduring mission to advance understanding of cancer-bone interactions through collaboration, mentorship, and scientific excellence. Established from the early Cancer Induced Bone Disease meetings and re-emerging as an independent body in 2016, CABS continues to serve as a global community bridging basic, translational, and clinical research. This year's meeting featured a comprehensive scientific program spanning tumor-bone biology, therapeutic innovation, and microenvironmental regulation. Clinical sessions emphasized the evolution of bone-targeted treatments such as bisphosphonates, denosumab, and radiopharmaceuticals, alongside predictive biomarkers to guide personalized care. Presentations on renal cell carcinoma bone metastases, multiple myeloma, and prostate cancer underscored persistent clinical challenges and opportunities for integration of immunotherapies and precision radiotherapy. Molecular sessions revealed how non-coding RNAs, TGF-β/Gli2 signaling, metabolic dependencies, and stromal mediators-including osteomodulin, IL-1β, and adiponectin-govern tumor colonization, dormancy, and resistance. Advances in immuno-oncology demonstrated the potential of γδ CAR-T cells, oncolytic viruses, and immune-metabolic targeting to enhance therapeutic efficacy in the bone microenvironment. Spatial and single-cell profiling provided unprecedented resolution of the metastatic niche, identifying novel osteoblast-derived stromal subsets and neurovascular remodeling as key determinants of disease progression. Complementary preclinical models and computational simulations, including 3D engineered bone marrow constructs and micro-finite element analysis, offered new frameworks to study therapeutic responses and fracture risk. The meeting also celebrated the growing leadership of Early-Stage Investigators (ESIs), whose contributions extended beyond research presentations to creative networking and mentorship events. These efforts reflected CABS' commitment to inclusivity, community building, and sustaining the next generation of leaders in cancer and bone research. Collectively, the 2024 CABS Annual Conference captured a transformative moment in the field-where mechanistic discoveries, advanced modeling, and translational collaboration converge to improve outcomes for patients with skeletal malignancies. As CABS looks ahead to the 2026 meeting in Tampa, Florida, the Society remains steadfast in fostering global partnerships and advancing integrative approaches to conquer cancer in bone.