An enzyme that blocks bone growth and spurs bone destruction may be a culprit behind cancer-driven bone disease, researchers say.
The findings in mice suggest that clinically approved inhibitors of the enzyme could potentially be repurposed for patients with multiple myeloma as well as breast, lung, and other solid tumors that metastasize to the bones. Bones are maintained by a tightly controlled balance between bone-building cells, known as osteoblasts, and bone-degrading cells called osteoclasts. Disruptions to this balance occur in multiple myeloma, where cancerous blood cells crowd the bone marrow, and in bone-metastatic tumors, which lead to chronic bone pain and fractures.
