The Hedgehog Pathway Conditions the Bone Microenvironment for Osteolytic Metastasis of Breast Cancer

Figure 2

Breast cancer cells armed with Hh signaling disrupt the dynamic equilibrium in the bone to serve its purpose of self propagation and subsequent osteolysis. Breast cancer cells engane in a crosstalk with osteoblasts and osteoclasts. This cumulatively results in the differentiation and activation of osteoclasts and eventually leads to enhancing osteolysis and growth of breast tumor cells in the bone. Overall, this figure addresses the role of Hh signaling in the vicious cycle of osteolytic metastasis of breast cancer.