{"id":25712,"date":"2025-05-13T08:58:07","date_gmt":"2025-05-13T06:58:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/idibell.cat\/en\/?p=25712"},"modified":"2025-05-13T11:58:02","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T09:58:02","slug":"rediscovering-denosumab-from-osteoporosis-treatment-to-a-possible-role-against-breast-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/idibell.cat\/en\/2025\/05\/rediscovering-denosumab-from-osteoporosis-treatment-to-a-possible-role-against-breast-cancer\/","title":{"rendered":"Rediscovering denosumab: from osteoporosis treatment to a possible role against breast cancer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Collaboration between science and society is essential for scientific progress, especially in the health and biomedical fields, where basic researchers, clinicians and patients work together. A vivid example of this are the first fruits of D-BIOMARK, <\/strong>a clinical trial against breast cancer promoted by the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO) that has analysed the potential anti-tumour role of denosumab, a drug already in use in the prevention of metastasis-related osteoporosis and bone lesions. Denosumab acts by inhibiting the RANK pathway, a molecular pathway that has been widely studied in oncology due to its relationship with tumor proliferation and progression, especially in breast cancer.<\/p>\n

Now, according to first trial results published in Breast Cancer Research, <\/em>denosumab could boost the anti-tumor immune response <\/strong>by increasing the number of tumor-infiltrating immune cells against cancer<\/strong>. This research builds on promising previous results in basic and preclinical research showing that inhibiting the RANK pathway could help slow tumor growth.<\/p>\n

The D-BIOMARK clinical trial is led by Dr. Eva Gonz\u00e1lez-Suarez, leader of the Transformation and Metastasis<\/a> research group at IDIBELL and CNIO, Dr. Andrea Vethencourt, clinical researcher in the same group and medical oncologist at ICO; and Dr. Catalina Falo, clinical researcher in the IDIBELL Breast cancer research group<\/a> and also a medical oncologist at ICO.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Basic Science: The RANK Pathway and its Relationship with Breast Cancer<\/strong><\/p>\n

Normally, a pair of bone metabolism proteins, RANK and RANKL, which star the RANK signaling pathway, act as information mediators among hormones such as progesterone, and send signals that are essential for the proper development of the mammary gland. However, as described in previous studies led by Dr. Gonz\u00e1lez-Suarez herself, if this pathway is dysregulated, there is a risk of losing control over breast cells reproduction, and they can start uncontrolably replicating and lead to breast cancer.<\/p>\n

This chain of events is what researchers intend to interrupt by using RANK pathway inhibitors<\/strong> such as denosumab, with the aim of preventing the onset of breast cancer or, if already developed, increasing therapeutic efficacy and improving the prognosis of patients. These RANK-inhibitor drugs represent a promising strategy because they are already approved for clinical use and, therefore, have a well-established safety profile<\/strong>, whose side effects are known and manageable in routine practice.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Clinical Trial: Denosumab Boosts the Anti-Tumour Immune Response<\/strong><\/p>\n

That is why this clinical trial set out to evaluate the biological effects of denosumab in 60 women with early-stage breast cancer, who had just been diagnosed, and who had not yet started any treatment. All were pending surgery to remove the tumor. To this end, two doses of 120 mg of denosumab were administered, 7 days apart, in the treated group, and no treatment in the control group. Blood samples and biopsies taken at diagnosis were then compared with those collected weeks after denosumab injection.<\/p>\n

According to the results, although denosumab was not associated with a reduction in cancer cell proliferation or survival, it was associated with a significant increase in tumor-infiltrating immune cells<\/strong>. The increase was observed in all breast cancer subtypes evaluated, but especially in type B luminal tumors.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Patients: applications in current immunotherapies<\/strong><\/p>\n

Immunotherapy is now the main strategy in cancer treatment advances, but it does not work equally in all tumours. For luminal type B tumors, response rates are relatively low.<\/p>\n

In this context, the ability of denosumab to increase immune infiltration into the tumour opens up a valuable avenue of clinical interest. That is why, as a result of these results, new analyses have been launched to try to elucidate the mechanisms involved in this immune activation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

It should be remembered that this promising advance and the new avenues of research it opens up are a direct result of the synergy between basic science<\/strong>, which for years has studied the ins and outs of RANK pathway role in breast cancer in the lab; the clinical experience <\/strong>of oncologists committed to the search for better treatments; and, especially, the generosity and commitment of the patients<\/strong> who have participated in the trial. It is thanks to this three-side collaboration that the lab’s discoveries can be translated into clinical practice, and the first results of their contribution to research can be returned to patients.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) is a research center established in 2004 specialized in cancer, neuroscience, translational medicine, and regenerative medicine. It counts on a team of more than 1.500 professionals who, from 73 research groups, publish more than 1.400 scientific articles per year. IDIBELL is participated by the Bellvitge University Hospital and the Viladecans Hospital of the Catalan Institute of Health, the Catalan Institute of Oncology, the University of Barcelona, and the City Council of L’Hospitalet de Llobregat.<\/em><\/p>\n

IDIBELL is a member of the Campus of International Excellence of the University of Barcelona HUBc and is part of the CERCA institution of the Generalitat de Catalunya. In 2009 it became one of the first five Spanish research centers accredited as a health research institute by the Carlos III Health Institute. In addition, it is part of the “HR Excellence in Research” program of the European Union and is a member of EATRIS and REGIC. Since 2018, IDIBELL has been an Accredited Center of the AECC Scientific Foundation (FCAECC).<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The first results of a clinical trial have emerged that reveal the potential for denosumab, an osteoporosis drug, to be used in breast cancer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":25713,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[232,180,264,213],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25712","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breast-cancer","category-cancer","category-molecular-mechanisms-and-experimental-therapy-in-oncology-program-oncobell","category-transformation-and-metastasis"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2025-05-21 04:05:34","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category"},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/idibell.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25712","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/idibell.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/idibell.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idibell.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idibell.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25712"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/idibell.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25712\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25717,"href":"https:\/\/idibell.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25712\/revisions\/25717"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idibell.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25713"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/idibell.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25712"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idibell.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25712"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idibell.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25712"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}