Bone metastases: When and how lung cancer interacts with bone

Abstract

Bone metastasis is a common and debilitating consequence of lung cancer: 30%-40% of patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer develop bone metastases during the course of their disease. Lung cancer cells find a favorable soil in the bone microenvironment due to factors released by the bone matrix, the immune system cells, and the same cancer cells. Many aspects of the cross-talk among lung tumor cells, the immune system, and bone cells are not clear, but this review aims to summarize the recent findings in this field, with particular attention to studies conducted to identify biomarkers for early detection of lung cancer bone metastases.