Influence of sex differences on the progression of cancer-induced bone pain.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Pain caused by bone metastases has a severe impact on the quality of life for many patients with cancer. Good translational in vivo models are required to understand the molecular mechanism and develop better treatment. In the current study we evaluated the influence of sex differences on the progression of cancer-induced bone pain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 4T1-luc2 mammary cancer cells were introduced into the femoral cavity of female and male BALB/cJ mice. Bioluminescence tumor signal, pain-related behavior and bone degradation were monitored for 14 days. RESULTS: Female mice demonstrated a significantly greater bioluminescence signal on day 2 compared to male mice and, in addition, a significant earlier onset of pain-related behavior was observed in the females. No sex difference was observed for bone degradation. Finally, a strong correlation between pain-related behavior and bone degradation was observed for both sexes. CONCLUSION: Although differences were observed between the sexes, these were minor and did not affect the overall progression of the pain state.