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Bone mets can only occur if you already have cancer somewhere
else. Some people with cancer develop bone mets and others do not.
Doctors still don't know enough to predict who will develop bone mets
over time. But they do know that certain kinds of cancer are more
likely to spread to bones. Among people with the same kind of cancer,
tumors that are larger and have already spread to lymph nodes are more
likely to spread to bone. For some kinds of cancer, a high grade (this
means the cancer cells look very different from normal cells under a
microscope) and certain genetic changes make the cancer cells more
likely to spread to bones.
This brings up one important point in your risk of having bone
mets: having a cancer that is found after it has spread to other organs
raises your risk of bone mets. Finding cancer early often means it has
not yet had a chance to spread. This can give you a better chance of
successful treatment and a lower risk of future spread.
Why some cancers spread to bones
Where a cancer spreads depends on its exact type and where it
started in the body. Some cancer cells carry substances on their
surfaces that help them to stick to different organs. Cancers that tend
to spread to bone may attach better to the cells in bone. In other
cases, bone cells release hormone-like factors that cause cancer cells
to grow faster. The things we know about the way cancer cells and
normal bone cells interact are being used to find new ways to treat and
maybe even prevent bone metastasis.
What happens when cancer grows in bones?
Cancer cells often make substances that damage the bones.
Usually these substances can cause the bones to dissolve and weaken.
This can lead to broken bones and large amounts of calcium being
released into the blood. But sometimes the cancer causes the bones to
become harder. This is called sclerosis.
Both of these types of bone mets can cause pain. When the cancer
dissolves the bone, the bone can break (fracture). Fractures occur much
less often with cancers that cause sclerosis.
Last Medical Review: 03/20/2007
Last Revised: 05/06/2009
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