ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: There are known risk factors and established treatment protocols for bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ), but it remains a difficult disease to treat, with the risk of relapses. This study investigates whether or not there is a relationship between antiestrogen therapy and BRONJ. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In our prospective study, we followed up 93 patients with BRONJ who were seen at our clinic between 2006 and 2011. RESULTS: We found that breast cancer patients had a significantly worse prognosis than patients with other underlying illnesses (p < 0.01), which might indicate the role of antiestrogen therapy (p < 0.001) as a causative factor. CONCLUSION: The dominance of the female gender among BRONJ patients as well as our new findings related to antiestrogen therapy of breast cancer raise the possibility that estrogen deficiency might be a newly discovered risk factor for BRONJ.
