A recent article in the Annals of Oncology discusses how preventive measures can be taken to reduce the occurrence of osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) in patients taking Zometa. Zometa (zolendronic acid) is a common bisphosphonate (BP) therapy given to treat bone damage due to myeloma, but like other BPs, the medication causes an unwanted side-effect, ONJ.

ONJ occurs when there is a loss of blood supply to the jaw, eventually causing jawbone death. In this study, patients were diagnosed with ONJ if there was exposed bone in…

Most myeloma patients suffer from bone disease, which can cause pain and fractures. Pain caused by bone disease is often treated with localized radiation therapy, and fractures can be stabilized by surgical procedures. However, these therapies only treat symptoms and do not actually slow or prevent further bone disease. Only bisphosphonates (BPs) are commonly used to prevent bone disease associated with myeloma.

BPs are a class of drugs that prevent bone from breaking down. This therapy can decrease bone pain and prevent the development of fractures, but it does not…

The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has reported that Fosamax (alendronate), a bisphosphonate (BP) used to treat osteoporosis, has been linked to esophageal cancer.

Another study reports that BPs increase the risk of osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ), a disease resulting from the loss or decrease of blood supply to the bone.

BPs are a class of drugs that reduce the risk of bone fracture and increase bone mass by slowing or stopping the breaking down of bone by osteoclasts.

In multiple myeloma patients,…