Review and update on drugs related to the development of osteonecrosis of the jaw

A Review of Literature on Updates of Bisphosphonates Administration, Cancer Biomarkers for Bisphosphonate Therapy, and Bisphosphonate-related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw in Breast Cancer

Context: The emergence of bone health maintenance in breast cancer patients is known as an indispensable aspect in survival and morbidity improvement; therefore, bisphosphonates play a substantial role in the prevention/delaying of cancer treatment induced bone loss and skeletal-related events (SREs) in these patients, although this drug can cause necrosis of the jaw. In this article, we aimed at summarizing updated evidence on bisphosphonates administration, biomarkers representative of the efficacy of bisphosphonate therapy, and bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ) affection in patients involved in breast cancer. Methods: Associated published articles were searched for in EMBASE, MEDLINE, CDSR, PubMed, Google Scholar, and CINAHL, using the following keywords or, in the case of PubMed database, medical subject headings (MeSH): ‘Diphosphonate’, ‘osteonecrosis’, ‘breast cancer’, and ‘biomarker’ in the abstract or title, and was limited by "clinical trials, meta-analysis and randomized controlled trial” published in English language from 2015 to 2020-09-15. Results: Bisphosphonates depicted remarkable advantages in improving SREs, skeletal morbidity rate (SMR), survival rate, and treatment-emergent adverse events in breast cancer patients in almost all aspects of breast cancer therapy, from adjuvant therapy for the early stage breast cancer to bone metastatic breast cancer (BMBC). The identification of breast cancer biomarkers that are capable of reflecting the outcomes of bisphosphonates therapy is a highly advantageous aid in the optimal utilization of these drugs. Breast cancer biomarkers such as MAF, DOCK4, CD73, TLR9, and CAPG/GIPC1 composite illustrated a significant correlation with bisphosphonates administration. Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) stands out as the most hazardous adverse event of the bisphosphonates with a rationally high incidence among breast cancer patients, which requires cautious prescription of bisphosphonates as well as regular dental health counseling for being prevented. Conclusions: Bisphosphonates are great weapons in the arsenal of breast cancer treatment and, therefore, comprehensive studying of their features leads to the optimal and safe administration of them. Unfortunately, as this procedure can cause necrosis of the jaw, dental procedures should be performed in these patients before starting bisphosphonate treatment.

Oral Implications of Polypharmacy in Older Adults

Over the next several decades, rates of aged populations will increase rapidly. These populations are susceptible to multimorbidities and polypharmacy (concurrently, prescribed 5 or more medications). Many medications have side effects that manifest orally. Therefore, it essential to possess current pharmacologic knowledge to diagnose and treat oral implications of commonly prescribed medications. This article details common medication-induced oral lesions and patient assessment of risk factors for polypharmacy and provides a template to integrate medication reconciliation into dental clinical practice.

Dental Implants Loaded With Bioactive Agents Promote Osseointegration in Osteoporosis: A Review

Implant-supported dentures are widely used in patients with defect or loss of dentition because these have higher chewing efficiency and do not damage the adjacent teeth compared with fixed or removable denture. An implant-supported denture carries the risk of failure in some systemic diseases, including osteoporosis, because of a non-ideal local microenvironment. Clinically common physical and chemical modifications are used to change the roughness of the implant surface to promote osseointegration, but they have limitations in promoting osteoinduction and inhibiting bone resorption. Recently, many researchers have focused on the study of bioactive modification of implants and have achieved promising results. Herein we have summarized the progress in bioactive modification strategy to promote osseointegration by regulating the local osteoporotic microenvironment.

Complementarity of Photo-Biomodulation, Surgical Treatment, and Antibiotherapy for Medication-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaws (MRONJ)

Background and Objectives: Antiresorptive or anti-angiogenic agents may induce medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaws (MRONJ), which represents a challenge for clinicians. The aim of this study is to design and apply a composed and stage-approach therapy combining antibiotherapy, surgical treatment, and photo-biomodulation (PBM) for the prevention or treatment of MRONJ lesions. Materials and Methods: The proposed treatment protocol was carried out in the Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery of the “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Farmacy of Timisoara, in 2018–2020. A total of 241 patients who were previously exposed to antiresorptive or anti-angiogenic therapy, as well as patients already diagnosed with MRONJ at different stages of the disease were treated. A preventive protocol was applied for patients in an “at risk” stage. Patients in more advanced stages received a complex treatment. Results: The healing proved to be complete, with spontaneous bone coverage in all the n = 84 cases placed in an “at risk” stage. For the n = 49 patients belonging to stage 0, pain reductions and decreases of mucosal inflammations were also obtained in all cases. For the n = 108 patients proposed for surgery (i.e., in stages 1, 2, or 3 of MRONJ), a total healing rate of 91.66% was obtained after the first surgery, while considering the downscaling to stage 1 as a treatment “success”, only one “failure” was reported. This brings the overall “success” rate to 96.68% for a complete healing, and to 99.59% when downscaling to stage 1 is included in the healing rate. Conclusions: Therefore, the clinical outcome of the present study indicates that patients with MRONJ in almost all stages of the disease can benefit from such a proposed association of methods, with superior clinical results compared to classical therapies.

Gradual, but Not Sudden, Dose-Dependent Increase of ONJ Risk With Bisphosphonate Exposure: A Nationwide Cohort Study in Women With Osteoporosis

BACKGROUND

A causal relationship of bisphosphonate (BP) exposure with osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) has been reported; however, a definite dose-dependent risk remains to be elucidated beyond current vague recommendations of 4-year oral BP for ONJ risk increase.

OBJECTIVE

To identify the effect of bisphosphonate cumulative dose on ONJ development in women with osteoporosis.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study was designed using the National Health Insurance Service-National Health Screening database of Korea. Females over the age of 50 were diagnosed with osteoporosis based on the International Classification of Diseases 10th revision (ICD-10) codes (M80, M81, and M82) with bisphosphonate prescriptions. The cumulative dose of bisphosphonate was calculated using defined daily doses (DDD) to provide an accurate BP cumulative effect on ONJ occurrence. Osteonecrosis of the jaw was identified using both ICD-10 codes and related procedure codes. The incidence rates of ONJ and hazard ratios were estimated according to the bisphosphonate cumulative dose.

RESULTS

Among 74,491 included subjects, 190 cases of ONJ were identified. The incidence rate substantially increased after BP cumulative dose over 1 year (25.75 for DDD < 365, which increased to 53.43 for 365 ≤ DDD < 730). Compared to subjects with a cumulative dose of DDD < 365, subjects with a cumulative dose of 365 ≤ DDD < 730 had 2.36-fold hazard for developing ONJ (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

A bisphosphonate cumulative dose of more than 1 year had an increased risk of ONJ development. A gradual, but not sudden, dose-dependent increase in ONJ risk with BP exposure needs to be considered in providing the optimal BP treatment duration.

Medication-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw (MRONJ) due to Simvastatin: An Unusual Case Report

Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) is a serious pathological condition that usually results from anti-resorptive or anti-angiogenic drugs. We aimed to report an unusual MRONJ in a female patient due to long-term simvastatin administration. A 48-year female was referred to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial, Mashhad Dental School, Mashhad, Iran in Dec 2019. She complained of pain, swelling, and infection in the right mandibular area with a history of extraction. Based on medical history, the patient received 40 mg of simvastatin daily for ten years to control hypercholesterolemia. According to clinical and radiographic examinations, as well as previous medical and dental records, the lesion diagnosis was detected as MRONJ. Moreover, histopathological examination of the lesion confirmed our clinical diagnosis. The necrotic bone was removed with caution. The PRF was then inserted, and the flap was sutured without any tension. No complications were observed on following-up, and all symptoms were discontinued. There was a correlation between the administration of high-dose simvastatin and MRONJ. Moreover, more clinical investigation with larger sample sizes is suggested.

Comprehensive Study of the Risk Factors for Medication-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw Based on the Japanese Adverse Drug Event Report Database

Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) is associated with many drugs, including bisphosphonates (BPs). BPs are associated with atypical femoral fractures and osteonecrosis of the external auditory canal. Thus, many drugs are reported to cause adverse effects on bone. This study aimed to investigate the effects of drugs and patient backgrounds regarding osteonecrosis-related side effects, including MRONJ. This study used a large voluntary reporting database, namely, the Japanese Adverse Drug Event Report database. First, we searched for risk factors related to MRONJ using volcano plots and logistic regression analysis. Next, we searched for bone-necrosis-related side effects using principal component and cluster analysis. Factors that were significantly associated with MRONJ included eight types of BPs and denosumab, prednisolone, sunitinib, eldecalcitol, raloxifene, letrozole, doxifluridine, exemestane, radium chloride, medroxyprogesterone, female, elderly, and short stature. Furthermore, antiresorptive agents (i.e., BPs and denosumab) tended to induce MRONJ and atypical femoral fractures by affecting osteoclasts. We believe these findings will help medical personnel manage the side effects of many medications.

Medication-related osteonecrosis and osteoradionecrosis of the jaws: Update and current management

Medication related osteonecrosis of the jaws (MRONJ) and osteoradionecrosis of the jaws (ORNJ) are two different diseases of quite similar appearance. MRONJ is mainly due to antiresorptive or antiangiogenic drug therapy and ORNJ to radiotherapy. The present work aimed at presenting and comparing the current knowledge on MRONJ and ORNJ. They both present as an exposure of necrotic bone and differ in some clinical or radiological characteristics, clinical course and mostly in treatment. They share similar risk factors. A tooth extraction is more frequently found as a triggering factor in MRONJ. The frequency of a maxillary localisation seems higher for MRONJ. On computed tomographic images, a periosteal reaction seems characteristic of MRONJ. More frequent pathological fractures seem to occur in ORNJ. It is mandatory, for ORNJ diagnosis, to exclude a residual or recurrent tumour using histological examination. Both MRONJ and ORNJ are challenging to treat and cannot be managed similarly. For both, it would still be worth to optimise awareness within the medical community, patients' oral hygiene and dental cares to improve their prevention and make their incidences decrease. Conservative therapy is more frequently achieved for MRONJ than ORNJ and surgical resection is more often performed for ORNJ. For both diseases, the last treatment possible in refractory cases is a surgical extensive resection with free flap reconstruction. A MRONJ classification is widely used today, whereas no consensus exists to date for ORNJ classification. We propose a classification that could play this role.

The Case of Medication-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw Addressed from a Pathogenic Point of View. Innovative Therapeutic Strategies: Focus on the Most Recent Discoveries on Oral Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Derived Exosomes

Bisphosphonates-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ) was firstly reported by Marx in 2003. Since 2014, the term medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) is recommended by the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS). Development of MRONJ has been associated to the assumption of bisphosphonates but many MRONJ-promoting factors have been identified. A strong involvement of immunity components has been suggested. Therapeutic intervention includes surgical and non-surgical treatments, as well as regenerative medicine procedures for the replacement of the lost tissues. The literature confirms that the combination of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), biomaterials and local biomolecules can support the regeneration/repair of different structures. In this review, we report the major open topics in the pathogenesis of MRONJ. Then, we introduce the oral tissues recognized as sources of MSCs, summing up in functional terms what is known about the exosomes release in physiological and pathological conditions.

Rare Oral Presentation of a Mycophenolate Mofetil-Related Other Iatrogenic Immunodeficiency-Associated Lymphoproliferative Disorder (MMF-OIA-LPD) Lesion: A Case Report and Literature Review

Oral manifestations of side effects of medications, such as methotrexate (MTX) for management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) for solid organ transplant (SOT), are very rare. The known side effects include entities called other iatrogenic immunodeficiency-associated lymphoproliferative disorders (OIIA-LPD) due to immunosuppression caused by these medications. While there has been an increased incidence of oral cavity LPD reported in the literature associated with MTX, oral presentations that involve MMF are rare. This case report will detail a 74-year-old man with scleroderma treated with MMF who developed Epstein-Barr virus + polymorphic B-cell lymphoproliferative disorder in the right maxillary gingiva presenting as osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ). His oral presentation was successfully treated with a combination of surgery and MMF dosage reduction with an oral presentation free of disease at 6 months follow-up. This is the first known case report of an oral manifestation of MMF-related OIIA-LPD.

Osteonecrosis Mandibular Extended to Bisphosphonates: A Very Rare Extensive Case

After the first report of bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ) in 2003, it has increased significantly since then. We report a very rare extensive case never seen before in our experience of bone exposure with necrosis reaching the mandibular inferior border. Although the treatment modalities are not yet established, most researchers have recommended conservative approaches. The surgery was to be as conservative as possible, with a resection of the mandibular range followed by reconstruction using titanium plate with space maintainer. The authors would like to share their approach, management, and awareness.