Osteochemonecrosis of the jaws due to bisphosphonate treatments. Update

Abstract

Bisphosphonates (BP),were initially used in industry and later as a drug due to their great affinity to osseous tissue, because of their powerful antiresorptive effect as a treatment in various osteopathies, such as osteoporosis, Paget disease or hypercalcemia associated with some malignant tumors, as myeloma or breast cancer. They are administered orally or intravenously, and although well tolerated, the most frequent side effects are gastrointestinal, in addition to osteonecrosis when they are administered via endovenous. The aim of this work has been to evaluate the existing publications in accredited scientific literature on biphosphonates and their action mechanism and the relationship with the appearance of osteonecrosis of the jaws. Although the mechanism by which osteonecrosis of the jaws develops is not known exactly, there seems to be influence by osteoclast inhibiton, antiangiogenic action, an inhibitory effect on the cellular cycle by the keratinocytes, as well as, reinforcement of the chemiotoxic action in oncological patients treated with other drugs. Clinically, it ranges from a non-specificity of symptoms to lesions such as osteomyelitis with necrosis and osseous sequesters that may be accompanied by fetor ex oris, with the appearance of many Actinomyces contaminated lesions. As for published antecedents on osteonecrosis due to bisphosphonate treatment found until 2006: 46.5% had a previous diagnosis of multiple myeloma; 38.8% were patients with metastatic breast cancer; 6.2% patients of metastatic prostate cancer; 4.1% suffered from osteoporosis; 3.5% from other metastatic diseases and 0.8% had Paget disease. The drugs that seem to have the highest incidence of osteochemionecrosis are: zoledronate, pamidronate, alendronate, risendronate and ibandronate, from the greatest to the least. Additionally, the risk of osteonecrosis being produced is accumulative and may reach 21% in the third year of intravenous bisphosphonate use.