Dr. Den Discusses Bone Metastases in Prostate Cancer

Robert B. Den, MD, associate professor of radiation oncology, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, discusses bone metastases in prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer is a unique malignancy, as it tends to have a preponderance of metastases to the bone. Bone metastases can impact a patient’s quality of life by causing severe bone pain, which is an area where investigators have been looking into targeting the bone microenvironment specifically.

Commonly used bone-targeted agents for the treatment of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer include zoledronic acid (Zometa), denosumab (Xgeva), and radium-223 dichloride (Xofigo). These agents are designed to target the makeup of the bone, Den explains.