Mechanisms of Muscle Weakness Associated with Bone Metastases

Cancer-associated muscle dysfunction represents a deadly clinical problem, for which there is currently no treatment. Normal bone remodeling can be disrupted by tumor cells that metastasize to bone in certain stages of cancer, which results in increased morbidity including muscle weakness. The reason for this muscle weakness may be attributed to a reduction in muscle mass and/or a reduction in muscle function. In fact, it has been demonstrated that in advanced cancers, it is probably caused by a combination of reduced quantity and quality of muscle. This review focuses on the mechanisms that bone metastases promote skeletal muscle weakness in metastatic bone disease.