*Edited by Jianyuan Chai*

Human life relies on two basic supplies from nature: oxygen and food. Oxygen can be utilized directly, but food has to go through a process of digestion to become usable nutrients. The esophagus represents the beginning of this long journey. Because of its critical location, esophageal cancer is one of the deadliest malignancies in the world, and furthermore its incidence has been rising steadily year after year while other cancers are declining. It is predicted that by the year 2035 the esophageal cancer population will increase by 77.4% and become one of top global concerns. This book covers many aspects of esophageal cancer, through which we hope to raise the awareness of professionals as well as non-professionals about this disease.

ISBN 978-1-78984-412-2

Esophageal Cancer and Beyond

Published in London, UK © 2018 IntechOpen © man\_at\_mouse / iStock


**4. Conclusion**

In conclusion, bone mineral density has been always regarded as gold standard for the diagnosis of osteoporosis in the world. Biochemical markers of bone metabolism can reflect bone remodeling earlier and have the advantages of non-invasiveness and timeliness. The combination of them can be used for better diagnosis and differential diagnosis of metabolic diseases, drug development, and clinical monitoring of osteoporosis treatment efficacy. In recent years, with the research progress of imaging technology and biological science, it has provided technical support for further detection of bone microstructure, bone geometric properties, and bone strength, and provided a theoretical basis for exploring bone physiology and the pathogenesis of metabolic bone diseases. For the newly developed imaging technology and newly discovered bone metabolism markers, the clinical research evidence is limited, and its safety, specificity, sensitivity, stability and other characteristics in clinical application still need more in-depth and extensive research.

*Advances in Clinical Application of Bone Mineral Density and Bone Turnover Markers DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109074*