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Anti-Cancer Actions of Denosumab

Current Osteoporosis Reports volume 9, Article number: 173 (2011) Cite this article

Abstract

Denosumab works by binding to and inhibiting receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL). Through this mechanism, it can inhibit any cause of bone destruction and thus shows great efficacy in high-turnover osteoporosis. The FREEDOM (Fracture Reduction Evaluation of Denosumab in Osteoporosis Every 6 Months) trial established the effectiveness of denosumab as a therapy for menopausal bone loss, whereas several newer trials have found denosumab to have shown denosumab to be beneficial in preventing skeletal events from bone metastases. This review highlights the potential novel anti-cancer mechanisms of action of denosumab in mammary tumors.

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Acknowledgments

M. Zaidi is supported by grants from the US National Institutes of Health. J.I. acknowledges the support of the American Federation for Aging Research.

Disclosures

Conflicts of interest: J. Iqbal: none; L. Sun: none; Mechanick: has been a consultant for Abbott Nutrition and Nestle Nutrition; has received grant support from Select Medical Corporation; has received honoraria from Abbott Nutrition and Nestle Nutrition; has received payment for development of educational presentations including service on speakers’ bureaus; and has received travel/accommodations expenses covered or reimbursed from Abbott Nutrition and Nestle Nutrition; M. Zaidi: has been a speaker and/or on the speakers’ bureaus for Amgen (and on the advisory board), Procter & Gamble, Roche and Genentech, GlaxoSmithKline (and a consultant), Warner Chilcott, Novartis, Genentech, Questcor, Gerson Lehman, and Medcorp; has given expert testimony for Bowman and Brooke, Simes, and Venables; has two patents by Mount Sinai School of Medicine on FSH and TSH, only if they mature into a drug; is also a named inventor of a pending patent application related to osteoclastic bone resorption filed by the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. In the event the pending or issued patent is licensed, he would be entitled to a share of any proceeds MSSM receives from the licensee; has received payment for development of educational presentations including service on speakers’ bureaus for CME Education LLC; and has received travel/accommodations expenses covered or reimbursed from various CME prams at academic institutions.

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Affiliations

  1. The Mount Sinai Bone Program, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA

    Jameel Iqbal, Li Sun, Jeffrey I. Mechanick & Mone Zaidi

Authors
  1. Jameel Iqbal
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  2. Li Sun
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  3. Jeffrey I. Mechanick
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  4. Mone Zaidi
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Correspondence to Mone Zaidi.

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Iqbal, J., Sun, L., Mechanick, J.I. et al. Anti-Cancer Actions of Denosumab. Curr Osteoporos Rep 9, 173 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11914-011-0069-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11914-011-0069-9

Keywords

  • Denosumab
  • Osteoporosis
  • Cancer
  • Osteoclast
  • RANK ligand
  • RANKL
  • Bone
  • Dendritic cell
  • Tumor