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Reflections on Cancer in the Bone Marrow: Adverse Roles of Adipocytes

  • Molecular Biology of Bone Metastasis (H Taipaleenmäki, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

ᅟ

This review highlights the recent advances in our understanding of adipocyte contributions to carcinogenesis or cancer disease progression for cancers in the bone.

Purpose of Review

In this review, we aim to describe bone marrow adipose tissue and discuss the soluble adipocyte-derived cytokines (adipokines) or endocrine factors, adipocyte-derived lipids, and the actual or putative juxtacrine signaling between bone marrow adipocytes and tumor cells in the bone marrow. This relationship likely affects tumor cell initiation, proliferation, metastasis, and/or drug resistance.

Recent Findings

Bone marrow adipose may affect tumor proliferation, drug resistance, or cancer-induced bone disease and hence may be a new target in the fight against cancer.

Summary

Overall, evidence is mixed regarding the role of bone marrow adipose and adipocytes in cancer progression, and more research in this arena is necessary to determine how these bone marrow microenvironmental cells contribute to malignancies in the marrow to identify novel, potentially targetable pathways.

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Acknowledgements

The authors’ work is supported by MMCRI Start-up funds, a pilot project grant from NIH/NIGMS (P30GM106391), the NIH/NIDDK (R24DK092759-01), and the COBRE grant from the NIH/NIGMS (P20GM121301). This work was also funded in part by pilots from NIGMS/NIH P30 GM106391 and the American Cancer Society (Research Grant #IRG-16-191-33). This review was supported by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number P30AR066261. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Maine Medical Research Institute, 81 Research Drive, Scarborough, ME, 04074, USA

    Carolyne Falank, Heather Fairfield & Michaela R. Reagan

  2. University of Maine, Orono, ME, USA

    Carolyne Falank, Heather Fairfield & Michaela R. Reagan

  3. Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA

    Carolyne Falank, Heather Fairfield & Michaela R. Reagan

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  1. Carolyne Falank
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Correspondence to Michaela R. Reagan.

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Carolyne Falank, Heather Fairfield, and Michaela R. Reagan each declare no potential conflicts of interest.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Molecular Biology of Bone Metastasis

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Falank, C., Fairfield, H. & Reagan, M.R. Reflections on Cancer in the Bone Marrow: Adverse Roles of Adipocytes. Curr Mol Bio Rep 3, 254–262 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40610-017-0074-6

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