Metabolism in Tumour-Induced Bone Disease

Metastatic cancer cells use altered metabolic pathways to adapt in alternate environments. Cancer cells that home towards the bone are able to manipulate their metabolism to survive in the hypoxic microenvironment, shifting between oxidative phosphorylation and glycolysis, whilst also exploiting neighbouring cells within the bone to provide energy and protect against chemotherapies. Targeting the altered metabolic pathways in cancer cells could be used to improve treatments, reduce tumour burden and prevent the destruction of the bone that occurs in tumour-induced bone disease.