Addressing the controversy: do bisphosphonates directly affect primary tumors?

The recent article by Junankar and colleagues focuses on demonstrating the uptake of bisphosphonates (BP) into the primary tumor in both animal models and human samples. Interestingly, the authors were able to establish tumor-associated macrophages as the cell type that takes up the BPs. These studies are an important advancement for understanding the potential benefits of using BPs as adjuvant therapy in patients with cancer. ©2015 American Association for Cancer Research.