Effects of bisphosphonate on experimental jaw metastasis model in nude mice

The mechanism of osteolysis associated with metastatic cancer of the jaws is essentially osteoclast-mediated. Therefore, it is likely that potent osteoclastic bone resorption inhibitors such as bisphosphonates would be efficacious for the treatment of jaw metastasis. We examined the effects of a third generation bisphosphonate, YM175, in a nude mice jaw metastasis model with intracardiac injection of a human breast cancer cell line, MDA-MB-231. The metastatic lesions in untreated mice were radiographically observed at the body and angle of the mandible. Histology of the mandible of untreated mice revealed that most of the bone marrow cavities had been occupied by the metastatic tumor with active osteoclasts along the trabecular bone. The experimental group showed that YM175 markedly reduced the size of tumor and the number of osteoclasts. These results suggest that YM175 may suppress metastasis formation and tumor growth in jaw through inhibition of osteoclastic bone resorption.