Metastatic Bone Cancer and Bone Pain

Bone pain induced by bone cancers has been widely investigated. Using a murine model of distal femoral sarcoma, in addition to the malignant tumor itself, bone destruction has been shown to contribute to the generation of pain. Assessment by radiography and histomorphology, there were findings that the levels of pain and neurochemical alternations were correlated with the extent of osteolysis. It is therefore interesting to review the correlation between metastatic bone cancers, bone destruction and bone pain in human. Skeletal metastases constitute about 70% of all malignant bone tumors. Although the majority of metastatic bone cancers are clinically silent, bone pain is the main symptom if present and a significant impact on quality of life. It has been noted that the most common origin of metastatic bone cancers in men is the prostate and in women the breast. They have also been thought to be the most common causes of bone pain. In general, however, though the breast cancer is an osteolytic metastasis, the prostatic cancer is considered to be an osteoblastic one. By reviewing the sequential histomorphologic changes in these malignant bone tumors, the uncertainty may be able to be clarified.