Skip to main content
NCBI home page
British Journal of Cancer logoLink to British Journal of Cancer
. 1981 Mar;43(3):392–401. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1981.60

Some mechanisms of local bone destruction by squamous carcinomas of the head and neck.

S W Tsao, J F Burman, D M Easty, G C Easty, R L Carter
PMCID: PMC2010616  PMID: 7225288

Abstract

An in vitro osteolysis assay with 45Ca-labelled mouse calvaria has been used to investigate mechanisms of direct bone invasion by squamous carcinomas of the head and neck. Short-term (3-day) organ cultures of 8 fresh squamous carcinomas showed varying degrees of in vitro bone-resorbing activity which was blocked by indomethacin, an inhibitor of prostaglandin synthesis. Supernatant media from 6 established cell lines also induced bone resorption in vitro and evoked an osteoclastic response in the cultured calvaria. Osteolysis by supernatant media was not blocked by indomethacin in all the tumour-cell lines, and the production of non-prostaglandin osteolysins by the indomethacin-resistant lines is postulated. The two principal findings that emerge are: (1) Stimulants for osteoclastic activity are derived from both squamous-carcinoma cells and from host cells in the tumour stroma. (2) These stimulants are diverse. Indomethacin-sensitive agents, presumed to be prostaglandins, are most convincingly demonstrated in the fresh tumours. Indomethacin-resistant agents, presumably not prostaglandins, are more characteristic of the carcinoma cell lines.

Full text

PDF
392

Images in this article

396Fig. 2
on p.396
398Fig. 4
on p.398

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bennett A., Carter R. L., Stamford I. F., Tanner N. S. Prostaglandin-like material extracted from squamous carcinomas of the head and neck. Br J Cancer. 1980 Feb;41(2):204–208. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1980.31. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Carter R. L., Pittam M. R. Squamous carcinomas of the head and neck: some patterns of spread. J R Soc Med. 1980 Jun;73(6):420–427. doi: 10.1177/014107688007300606. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Carter R. L., Tanner N. S., Clifford P., Shaw H. J. Direct bone invasion in squamous carcinomas of the head and neck: pathological and clinical implications. Clin Otolaryngol Allied Sci. 1980 Apr;5(2):107–116. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2273.1980.tb01636.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Carter R. L., Tanner N. S. Local invasion by laryngeal carcinoma--the importance of focal (metaplastic) ossification within laryngeal cartilage. Clin Otolaryngol Allied Sci. 1979 Aug;4(4):283–290. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2273.1979.tb01901.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Edwards P. A., Easty D. M., Foster C. S. Selective culture of epithelioid cells from a human squamous carcinoma using a monoclonal antibody to kill fibroblasts. Cell Biol Int Rep. 1980 Oct;4(10):917–922. doi: 10.1016/0309-1651(80)90193-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Eilon G., Mundy G. R. Direct resorption of bone by human breast cancer cells in vitro. Nature. 1978 Dec 14;276(5689):726–728. doi: 10.1038/276726a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Faccini J. M. The mode of growth of experimental metastases in rabbit femora. Virchows Arch A Pathol Anat Histol. 1974;364(3):249–263. doi: 10.1007/BF00433077. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Fitzpatrick F. A., Stringfellow D. A. Prostaglandin D2 formation by malignant melanoma cells correlates inversely with cellular metastatic potential. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1979 Apr;76(4):1765–1769. doi: 10.1073/pnas.76.4.1765. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Galasko C. S., Bennett A. Relationship of bone destruction in skeletal metastases to osteoclast activation and prostaglandins. Nature. 1976 Oct 7;263(5577):508–510. doi: 10.1038/263508a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Galasko C. S. Mechanisms of bone destruction in the development of skeletal metastases. Nature. 1976 Oct 7;263(5577):507–508. doi: 10.1038/263507a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Galasko C. S. The pathological basis for skeletal scintigraphy. J Bone Joint Surg Br. 1975 Aug;57(3):353–359. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Gordon D., Bray M. A., Morley J. Control of lymphokine secretion by prostaglandins. Nature. 1976 Jul 29;262(5567):401–402. doi: 10.1038/262401a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Horton J. E., Raisz L. G., Simmons H. A., Oppenheim J. J., Mergenhagen S. E. Bone resorbing activity in supernatant fluid from cultured human peripheral blood leukocytes. Science. 1972 Sep 1;177(4051):793–795. doi: 10.1126/science.177.4051.793. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Hough A., Jr, Seyberth H., Oates J., Hartmann W. Changes in bone and bone marrow of rabbits bearing the VX-2 carcinoma. A comparison of local and distant effects. Am J Pathol. 1977 Jun;87(3):537–552. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Kahn A. J., Stewart C. C., Teitelbaum S. L. Contact-mediated bone resorption by human monocytes in vitro. Science. 1978 Mar 3;199(4332):988–990. doi: 10.1126/science.622581. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Levine L., Hinkle P. M., Voelkel E. F., Tashjian A. H., Jr Prostaglandin production by mouse fibrosarcoma cells in culture: inhibition by indomethacin and aspirin. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1972 May 26;47(4):888–896. doi: 10.1016/0006-291x(72)90576-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Luben R. A. An assay for osteoclast-activating factor (OAF) in biological fluids: detection of OAF in the serum of myeloma patients. Cell Immunol. 1980 Jan;49(1):74–80. doi: 10.1016/0008-8749(80)90057-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. McArthur W., Yaari A. M., Shapiro I. M. Bone solubilization by mononuclear cells. Lab Invest. 1980 Apr;42(4):450–456. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Mundy C. R., Altman A. J., Gondek M. D., Bandelin J. G. Direct resorption of bone by human monocytes. Science. 1977 Jun 3;196(4294):1109–1111. doi: 10.1126/science.16343. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Mundy G. R., Luben R. A., Raisz L. G., Oppenheim J. J., Buell D. N. Bone-resorbing activity in supernatants from lymphoid cell lines. N Engl J Med. 1974 Apr 18;290(16):867–871. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197404182901601. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Raisz L. G., Sandberg A. L., Goodson J. M., Simmons H. A., Mergenhagen S. E. Complement-dependent stimulation of prostaglandin synthesis and bone resorption. Science. 1974 Aug 30;185(4153):789–791. doi: 10.1126/science.185.4153.789. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Reynolds J. J. Inhibition by calcitonin of bone resorption induced in vitro by vitamin A. Proc R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 1968 May 14;170(1018):61–69. doi: 10.1098/rspb.1968.0024. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Rolland P. H., Martin P. M., Jacquemier J., Rolland A. M., Toga M. Prostaglandin in human breast cancer: Evidence suggesting that an elevated prostaglandin production is a marker of high metastatic potential for neoplastic cells. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1980 May;64(5):1061–1070. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Schelling S. H., Wolfe H. J., Tashjian A. H., Jr Role of the osteoclast in prostaglandin E2-stimulated bone resorption: a correlative morphometric and biochemical analysis. Lab Invest. 1980 Mar;42(3):290–295. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Wolfe H. J., Bitman W. R., Voelkel E. F., Griffiths H. J., Tashjian A. H. Systemic effects of the VX2 carcinoma on the osseous skeleton. A quantitative study of trabecular bone. Lab Invest. 1978 Feb;38(2):208–215. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Young D. M., Fioravanti J. L., Prieur D. J., Ward J. M. Hypercalcemic VX-2 carcinoma in rabbits: a clinicopathologic study. Lab Invest. 1976 Jul;35(1):30–46. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Journal of Cancer are provided here courtesy of Cancer Research UK

RESOURCES