Biotech Values

[biomaven0]

Yes, it is possible that the drug is somehow blocking the osteoblastic pathway - that would mean that bone mets would not progress (or show up on these scans), but also that existing bone mets would not heal. Most prostate bone mets are osteoblastic in nature (breast ca mets tend to be more mixed).

Just how complex these pathways are can be seen in this article about the interaction of PSA and bone:

Does Prostate-Specific Antigen Contribute to Bone Metastases?

http://clincancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/12/5/1395.full

This article about breast ca bone mets also is helpful as it relates to the different scanning methods available:

http://www.aboutcancer.com/bone_mets_pet_807.htm

Fusion of Metabolic Function and Morphology: Sequential [18F]Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron-Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography Studies Yield New Insights Into the Natural History of Bone Metastases in Breast Cancer

It would be interesting to see some [18F]FDG-PET/CT scans of these patients - that might clear things up some. Also necropsies of their animal model would be informative.

Peter