The role of hematopoietic stem cell niche in prostate cancer bone metastasis

J Bone Oncol. 2016 Feb 19;5(3):117-120. doi: 10.1016/j.jbo.2016.02.005. eCollection 2016 Sep.

Abstract

Approximately 80% of prostate cancers exhibit some degree of bone metastasis. The role of the bone marrow and the hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) niche in attracting metastatic cells and maintaining dormancy of disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) is an increasingly important topic towards the development of novel prostate cancer therapies. This paper reviews aspects of the HSC niche that lead to prostate cancer cell homing and dormancy in the bone marrow. This review also discusses the role of DTCs in the niche environment and discusses the role of erythropoietin in targeting DTCs within the HSC niche.