Sunitinib related osteonecrosis of jaw: a case report

A 58-year-old woman presented to the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Clinic experiencing severe limited mouth opening and exposed bone in the socket of the right mandibular third molar 8 months following the extraction of the tooth. The patient had been treated during the year before her presentation with sunitinib, an antiangiogenic drug, for renal cell carcinoma. The clinical, radiographic, and histologic picture of a chronic nonhealing extraction socket was consistent with osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ), although she had never been treated with bisphosphonates or corticosteroids. The treatment with sunitinib was discontinued and the patient was treated with antibiotics and physiotherapy for 12 weeks with complete recovery. Sunitinib may cause osteonecrosis of the jaw after oral surgical interventions with no previous exposure to bisphosphonates. The pathogenesis may be related to its antiangiogenic mechanism and impaired wound healing. Full recovery may require long-term cessation of the insulting drug combined with prolonged antibiotic treatment. (Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol 2012;113:e1-e3)