with treatment one would expect to see a decrease of markers of bone formation even though you are decreasing the rate of loss of bone (or increasing bone mass), since you slow down the rate of bone remodeling
I would assume that the bone wants to heal itself - fill the void left by the tumor which it couldn't fill before because the tumor was interfering - and that would imply a hot spot flare on the bone scan. Which is what often appears to happen for Arbiterone treated patients. And which I suspect happens when, for instance, you remove a temporary bone screw. Bone screw in - after 2 or 3 months no hot spot. Remove bone screw at month 4 - hot spot on a bone scan.
at least this is what we see in postmenopausal patients, and i think it applies to other etiologies of bone loss like tumor invasion
Agreed that I would expect exactly that effect for bone loss in postmenopausal women. But the MOA is wildly different - it isn't about the bone healing itself but about the body actively tearing itself down which I surely wouldn't expect to be true after insult to the bone.