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This paper deals with the application of the multiscale finite element method for simulating the cancellous bone. For this purpose, two types of biphasic representative volume elements are proposed. In the first one, the solid frame consists of thin walls simulated by shell elements. On the other hand, the solid phase of the second model is made up of columns consisting of eight-node brick elements. This choice of representative volume elements is motivated by experimental investigations reporting on the existence of plate-like and rode-like types of cancellous bone and possible conversions between them. The proposed representative volume elements are used to calculate effective material tensors and parameters and to investigate their change in terms of increasing porosity, which is typical for osteoporosis. As a first example, changes in the geometry of the representative volume elements are used to explore material anisotropy. In the end, the final example considers wave propagation through the bone treated as a homogenized medium. © 2011 IMACS.