Breast Cancer Now and Prostate Cancer Research have joined forces to fund six groundbreaking new research projects to tackle the spread of breast and prostate cancer to the bones, offering hope for changing lives and transforming patient outcomes.

Once cancer spreads to bone, a process known as metastasis, it becomes incurable and can cause debilitating pain and fractures. 

While bone metastasis can occur with nearly all types of cancer, it’s particularly common with breast and prostate cancers, which are the most common types of cancer for men and women in the UK.

Each year in the UK, 55,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 63,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer.

About 80% of men who eventually die from prostate cancer, and 70% of women who die from breast cancer, have secondary tumours in their bones.

The majority of breast and prostate cancers are driven by hormones and treated in similar ways, such as through surgery, hormone therapy, radiation, and targeted therapies. However, once either of these cancers spreads to the bone, it can’t be cured, but it can be treated to control the cancer or relieve the symptoms.

The newly funded projects, totalling nearly half a million pounds, will address the challenge of bone metastasis in a variety of ways: From boosting the immune system, to repurposing existing drugs, all the way through to blocking neurons to prevent pain.

Together, these projects have the potential to prolong lives, increase quality of life, and provide hope for a cure for breast and prostate cancer.

The six research projects have been funded as part of the Bone Metastasis Collaboration Fund, the first joint initiative between Breast Cancer Now and Prostate Cancer Research, bringing together world-leading researchers to tackle one of the most urgent challenges in cancer research.

The Bone Metastasis Collaboration Fund awarded funding to:

• Dr Ella Dennis at the Newcastle University to target proteins that help prostate cancer cells spread and grow in bone
• Dr Faith Howard at the University of Sheffield to use bone-targeting drugs to guide viruses to kill cancer cells
• Dr Istvan Nagy at Imperial College London to block neurons to control bone pain
• Dr Jennifer Munkley and Dr Ning Wang at University of Newcastle to explore reactivating the immune system to destroy tumours in the bone
• Dr Jennifer Fraser at the University of Edinburgh to understand how long-term hormone therapy affects bone structure
• Professor Janet Brown at the University of Sheffield to repurpose drugs to stop cancer spreading to bone

Dr Simon Vincent, Chief Scientific Officer at Breast Cancer Now, said: “By joining forces with Prostate Cancer Research we can supercharge efforts to understand how the UK’s most common cancers spread to the bone, bringing us a step closer to developing new and better treatments and ultimately stopping both diseases in their tracks. We’re delighted that through this initiative we’re combining our expertise and resources to tackle this complex challenge and bring many people hope of more time and a better quality of life.”

Dr Naomi Elster, Director of Research at Prostate Cancer Research, said: “We live in a world where so many diseases that once were killers are now effectively harmless. That's what we want to achieve for cancer. There are questions that urgently need answering for us to make that hope a reality - and I'm so proud of these new projects, which will take us closer. By teaming up with Breast Cancer Now we can deliver something stronger and better.”

Nicola Williams, 52, from Warrington, a former neonatal intensive care nurse, was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in the bone in 2021 – a diagnosis that she says turned her life upside down.

She said: “A diagnosis of bone metastasis is life-changing and affects every part of your life, from living with constant pain to worrying about fractures and what the future holds. I had to give up a job I loved, as my mobility and energy have been severely affected. Knowing that leading charities are coming together to fund research specifically focused on stopping cancer spread to the bones gives me real hope. This research could transform what the future looks like for people like me, offering the possibility of less pain, better treatments, and more precious time with our loved ones.”

David Matheson, 68, from Northampton, a researcher in healthcare and medical education, was diagnosed with locally advanced prostate cancer in 2012.

He said: “For people like me who live with metastatic prostate cancer and those who live with metastatic breast cancer, one of the dreads is that their disease will spread to the bones as this brings with it not only the prospect of great pain from the tumours but also increased chances of fractures of the bones weakened by those tumours. For this reason, these projects are not only very welcome but they will also increase the understanding of the two diseases and bring us some steps close to a world where breast cancer and prostate cancer can be cured if not before they can metastasise then at least before they have done so widely.”

Source: Prostate Cancer Research