Bone Death
Reported September 25, 2006
CHICAGO (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) — “Don’t tell me about the 85 percent who die,” Renae Henkin says. “Tell me about the 15 percent that live.”
Henkin has battled breast cancer in its most advanced stage for eight years. She had a partial mastectomy, seven rounds of chemotherapy, and two courses of radiation.
She says, “If you have the attitude, ‘I’m going to going to die,’ you will go home, and you will die.”
Then three years ago, a bad toothache sidelined Henkin. Five doctors later, she found out what was causing it. Her jawbone was dying — caused by a drug to treat the cancer in her bones.
“That was one of the few times I did cry,” Henkin says.
Every year, doctors will diagnose more than 1 million Americans with cancer. For many patients, that cancer will eventually spread to the bone. Treatments for these cancers are drugs called bisphosphonates, which doctors also use for osteoporosis. But oral maxillofacial surgeon Mark Steinberg, D.D.S., M.D., says bisphosphonates can cause bone death so severe you lose your jaw.
“You can have the jaw break, and that can cause a facial deformity,” Dr. Steinberg, of Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago, tells Ivanhoe.
Bisphosphonates remain in the bone for about 10 years, so stopping the drug does not fix the problem. Dr. Steinberg says the benefits of taking these drugs outweigh the risk of jawbone death, but patients should talk to their oncologist.
He says if you need to take a bisphosphonate, get a dental exam before starting the drug. Take care of cavities, tooth decay and infections first. Make sure dentures fit well, and if you need dental surgery, have it before starting the drug.
Henkin had her tooth removed and stopped taking the drug, but she’s still at risk for infections. “It’s the same with my cancer,” she says. “My cancer will always be there.” But she says that doesn’t mean she won’t. “I’m here today, and I’ll be here tomorrow.”
If you would like more information, please contact:
Mark Steinberg, M.D.
Loyola University Health System
2160 South First Avenue
Maywood, IL 60153
(708) 216-3678