Mechanisms of Muscle Weakness Associated with Bone Metastases

Cancer-associated muscle dysfunction represents a deadly clinical problem, with ca. 80% mortality together with an increased toxicity from cancer treatment.. The normal bone remodeling might be disrupted by tumor cells that metastasize to bone in certain stages of cancer, which results in increased morbidity including muscle weakness. The reason for that muscle weakness might be attributed to the reduction on muscle mass or the reduction of muscle function. In fact, it has been demonstrated that in advanced cancers, it is probably caused by a combination of reductions, quantity and quality of muscle. This review focuses on the mechanisms that bone metastases promote skeletal muscle weakness.