Elham Rajaei, Tina Vosoughi, Forough Nokhostin, Hojatollah Yousefimanesh, Mahnaz Parvazi,
Volume 83, Issue 3 (6-2025)
Background: Osteonecrosis of the jaw has recently been reported in patients receiving denosumab for cancer treatment. Accordingly, the present study aimed to determine the frequency of osteonecrosis of the jaw in cancer patients receiving denosumab.
Methods: In the present descriptive-analytical study, 62 cancer patients receiving denosumab who referred to the oncology clinic of Golestan and Shafa Hospitals in Ahvaz in 1403 were studied. The prevalence of osteonecrosis of the jaw among the studied patients was investigated and its relationship with predisposing factors, including gender, type of cancer, comorbidity, and dental caries status, was recorded and analyzed in a checklist.
Results: The prevalence of osteonecrosis of the jaw was 1.6%. There was no significant association between the incidence of osteonecrosis of the jaw and gender and comorbidities (P<0.05), but females showed a 38% higher probability of developing osteonecrosis of the jaw (95% confidence interval; 1.62-1.18, r=1.386). Breast cancer was the most common type of cancer among the study participants (61.3%), but no significant association was found between the incidence of osteonecrosis of the jaw and the incidence of the cancers studied (P-value=0.986). No significant association was found between the incidence of osteonecrosis of the jaw and dental caries (P-value=0.741). The odds of developing osteonecrosis of the jaw in patients with or without dental caries risk were reported to be 1.1 (95% confidence interval; 1.205-1.021, r=1.109).
Conclusion: Despite the lack of a significant association between the incidence of osteonecrosis of the jaw and various factors such as gender, type of cancer, comorbidities, and dental caries, there was evidence of a relative increase in the risk of osteonecrosis of the jaw in women with cancer treated with denosumab, which highlights the need for further investigation.
