The role of IL-1B in breast cancer bone metastasis

Approximately 75% of patients with late stage breast cancer will develop bone metastasis. This condition is currently considered incurable and patients' life expectancy is limited to 2-3 years following diagnosis of bone involvement. IL-1B is a pro-inflammatory cytokine whose expression in primary tumours has been identified as a potential biomarker for predicting breast cancer patients at increased risk for developing bone metastasis. In this Review, we discuss how IL-1B from both the tumour cells and the tumour microenvironment influence growth of primary breast tumours, dissemination into the bone metastatic niche and proliferation into overt metastases. Recent evidence indicates that targeting IL-1B signalling may provide promising new treatments that can hold tumour cells in a dormant state within bone thus preventing formation of overt bone metastases.