CANCER patients and people with osteoporosis could get relief from two new
ways of targeting bone-destroying cells. One group of US researchers has found a
drug that can dramatically reduce the pain of bone metastases, and another has
identified a target for drugs that could protect bone as well as stopping the
spread of cancer cells.
Because bone has to withstand severe pressures, the body constantly renews
its skeleton by breaking bone down and building it back up. Diseases such as
osteoporosis or bone cancer, however, disrupt the careful balance between
bone-destroying cells called osteoclasts and bone-building osteoblasts. Now,
Patrick…
