Nat Commun: STING inhibits bone cancer pain through immune and neuronal regulation

Patients with advanced lung cancer, breast cancer , thyroid cancer, and bladder cancer often experience cancer pain after bone metastasis, accompanied by osteolytic lesions and severe pain

Insufficient pain control in patients with metastatic cancer is often accompanied by depression, anxiety, functional impairment, and a significant reduction in quality of life, which ultimately leads to an increase in morbidity and mortality

STING or interferon (IFN) gene stimulating factor is an intracellular DNA sensor that plays a key role in innate immunity .

STING agonists can attenuate bone destruction caused by cancer

In this study, the researchers studied a variety of bone cancer mouse models and found that STING agonists have significant protective effects on cancer pain, bone destruction and local tumor burden

Schematic diagram of related mechanisms

All in all, the results of the study revealed that the activation of STING can regulate the pain of bone cancer through a unique synergistic effect on nociceptors, immune cells and osteoclasts