title: Targeting bone metastases starting from the preneoplastic niche: home sweet home.
abstract: The metastatic process is a multistep coordinated event with a high degree of efficiency. Specific subpopulations of cancer stem cells, with tumor-initiating and migratory capacity, can selectively migrate towards sites that are able to promote survival and/or proliferation of metastatic tumor cells through a microenvironment modification. Cross-talk between the bone microenvironment and cancer cells can facilitate bone tropism of cancer cells. Fully understanding this complexity represents a major challenge in anti-cancer research and a mandatory step towards the development of new drugs potentially able not only to reduce the consequences of bone lesions but also to target the metastatic process in visceral sites.
authors: Daniele
authors: D
authors: Santini
authors: Bruno
authors: B
authors: Vincenzi
authors: Francesco
authors: F
authors: Pantano
authors: Giuseppe
authors: G
authors: Tonini
authors: Francesco
authors: F
authors: Bertoldo
mesh_terms: D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000556:secondary*; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000473:pathology; D060833:Cellular Microenvironment; D015195:Drug Design; D006801:Humans; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D053245:RANK Ligand / Q000378:metabolism; D053246:Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D053245:RANK Ligand; D053246:Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor-kappa B; C505686:TNFRSF11A protein, human; C505688:TNFSF11 protein, human