Prostate Cancer

When the researchers gave mice with skin cancer a drug that blocked RANKL, the rodents had fewer tumours in their bones than animals that were not treated.

But the drug did not slow the spread of the cancer to other sites in the body.

Penninger and his colleagues stressed that the research was done in mice but they added that drugs that interfere with RANKL are in development which could be used test their findings and show it the same holds true for humans.

"This is an idea that can be directly tested," Penninger added.

Nearly all breast cancer tumours in women have the receptor for RANKL which Penninger said is an indirect indication that the findings are relevant to humans.

"Since there are novel inhibitors of RANKL far along in clinical development, the idea is that people who have cancer that is known to spread to bone can start taking this drug when they are diagnosed," said D Holstead Jones, of the University of Toronto and the lead author of the study.

"It would inhibit how much bone metastases they would have," he added in a statement.

Every year, an estimated one million people develop metastases to the bones, particularly women with breast cancer.

Drugs that inhibit RANKL may also help to alleviate the severe pain that metas...

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