The epidemiological and clinical importance of bone metastasis has long been recognized, but the past decade has seen an explosion in the fields of bone biology and bone cancer research. This period of time has been marked by a number of key discoveries that have led to the opening up of entirely new areas for investigation as well as new therapies which combine surgery and biological therapeutic approaches.

Bone is a common site of cancer metastases - cancer cells commonly develop in bone and spread to other organ systems through the bloodstream. For example, the incidence of bone metastases in breast and prostate cancers is 70%, whereas it is only 30 to 40% in metastatic lung cancer. In clinical terms, bone metastases have substantial negative effects on a patient's quality of life and are a main cause of patient mortality.

Given the global prevalence of breast and prostate cancers, knowledge of bone biology has become essential for the medical and cancer research communities. This book provides, all in one resource, the most recent data on bone cancer development (cellular and molecular mechanisms), genomic and proteomic analyses, clinical analyses (histopathology, imaging, pain monitoring), as well as new therapeutic approaches and clinical trials for primary bone tumors and bone metastases.