Bone Resorption in Breast Cancer Metastasis

Funding Activity

Website
http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/352322

Funding Status
Closed

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Funded Activity Summary

Breast Cancer has a particular preference to form cancer metastases in bone where its presence is associated with bone destruction that frequently results in significant pain and disability. Bone seems to provide a fertile soil for breast cancer cells that have moved into the blood vessels from the original cancer site in the breast. Once tumour cells have invade bone marrow spaces from the blood vessels they are able to grow and induce the normal cells of the bone marrow to destroy the surrounding hard bone. This allows the tumour to grow faster. Together these processed create a vicious cycle that contributes to the serious consequences of bone metastases. In this project we will be studying mice with breast cancer to understand what makes the bone marrow such a fertile and receptive site for breast cancer metastasis. In particular, we are looking at how the normal processes of bone renewal and repair contribute to the establishment of cancer in bone. We will use the body's own bone protecting protein, called osteoprotegerin, to test how blocking bone destruction will affect the ability of cancer cells to invade and grow in bone. This study has the potential to change the way bone metastases are treated. Treatment of breast cancer could be significantly improved if the fertile soil of bone could be modified to either block the targeting of breast cancer to bone, or to inhibit its growth there.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2005

End Date: 01-01-2007

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Project Grants

Funding Amount: $425,875.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Endocrinology

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

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Other Keywords

Bone micro-environment | Breast cancer metastasis to bone | Endocrine treatment of bone diseases | Mouse xenograft models | Osteoclasts and bone resorption | Osteoprotegerin, RANK and RANK ligand | Skeletal complications of lytic bone metastases | Women's health

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