Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2017 May 9;11(1):321.
doi: 10.4081/oncol.2017.321. eCollection 2017 Mar 3.

Bone Metastases: An Overview

Filipa Macedo  1 , Katia Ladeira  2 , Filipa Pinho  2 , Nadine Saraiva  1 , Nuno Bonito  1 , Luisa Pinto  2 , Francisco Goncalves  2
Affiliations
Review

Bone Metastases: An Overview

Filipa Macedo et al. Oncol Rev. .

Abstract

Bone is a frequent site of metastases and typically indicates a short-term prognosis in cancer patients. Once cancer has spread to the bones it can rarely be cured, but often it can still be treated to slow its growth. The majority of skeletal metastases are due to breast and prostate cancer. Bone metastasis is actually much more common than primary bone cancers, especially in adults. The diagnosis is based on signs, symptoms and imaging. New classes of drugs and new interventions are given a better quality of life to these patients and improved the expectancy of life. It is necessary a multidisciplinary approach to treat patients with bone metastasis. In this paper we review the types, clinical approach and treatment of bone metastases.

Keywords: Bone metastasis; bisphosphonates; denosumab; fractures; radiotherapy.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Chambers A, Naumov G, Varghese H, et al. Critical steps in hematogenous metastasis: an overview. Surg Oncol Clin N Am 2001;10:243-55. - PubMed
    1. Luzzi KJ, MacDonald IC, Schmidt EE, et al. Multistep nature of metastatic inefficiency: dormancy of solitary cells after successful extravasation and limited survival of early micrometastases. Am J Pathol 1998;153:865-73. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Coleman R. Metastatic bone disease: clinical features, pathophysiology and treatment strategies. Cancer Treat Rev 2001;27:165-76. - PubMed
    1. Cecchini M, Wetterwald A, Pluijm G, Thalmann G. Molecular and biological mechanisms of bone metastasis. EAU Update Series 2005;3:214-26.
    1. Selvaggi G, Scagliotti G. Management of bone metastases in cancer: a review. Clin Rev Oncol Hematol 2005;56:365-78. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources