Bone metastasis (BM) in cancer remains a critical issue because of its associated clinical and biological complications. Moreover, BM can alter the quality of life and survival rate of cancer patients. Growing evidence suggests that bones are a fertile ground for the development of metastasis through a “vicious circle” of bone resorption/formation and tumor growth. This review aims to outline the current major issues in the diagnosis and management of BM in the most common types of osteotropic cancers and describe the mechanisms and effects of BM. First, we discuss the incidence of BM through the following questions: Are we witnessing an increase in incidence, and are we now better equipped with modern imaging techniques? Is the advent of efficient bone resorption inhibitors affecting the bigger picture of BM management? Second, we discuss the potential effects of cancer progression and well-prescribed drugs, such as multitarget tyrosine kinase inhibitors, inhibitors of the mammalian target of rapamycin, and immune checkpoint inhibitors, on BM. Finally, we examine the duality of the effects of some therapies that may help in cancer treatment but may also contribute to further BM.

由于其相关的临床和生物学并发症，癌症中的骨转移（BM）仍然是一个关键问题。此外，BM 可以改变癌症患者的生活质量和生存率。越来越多的证据表明，骨骼是通过骨吸收/形成和肿瘤生长的“恶性循环”发生转移的沃土。本综述旨在概述当前最常见类型骨癌中 BM 诊断和治疗的主要问题，并描述 BM 的机制和作用。首先，我们通过以下问题讨论 BM 的发病率：我们是否正在目睹发病率的增加？我们现在是否拥有更好的现代成像技术？高效骨吸收抑制剂的出现是否会影响骨转移管理的整体情况？其次，我们讨论了癌症进展和处方药物（例如多靶点酪氨酸激酶抑制剂、雷帕霉素哺乳动物靶点抑制剂和免疫检查点抑制剂）对 BM 的潜在影响。最后，我们研究了一些疗法的双重作用，这些疗法可能有助于癌症治疗，但也可能有助于进一步的 BM。