Treatment-related osteonecrosis of the jaw: presentation and management
Intended for healthcare professionals
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Treatment-related osteonecrosis of the jaw: presentation and management

Lawrence Drudge-Coates Urology oncology clinical nurse specialist and honorary lecturer, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London
Bruce Turner Uro-oncology nurse practitioner, Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, and Bart’s Health Trust, London

This article aims to increase nurses’ understanding of resorption inhibitor-associated osteonecrosis of the jaw, a common bone metastasis that can develop following courses of anti-bone resorption therapies. The causes, signs and symptoms, and disease incidence are described. The article discusses prevention strategies, such as maintaining good oral health, and the challenges facing nurses caring for this patient group. The condition can be difficult to eradicate through surgical or medical interventions, and may consequently affect patients’ quality of life, so psychological support is an important component of care.

Cancer Nursing Practice. 11, 5, 28-36. doi: 10.7748/cnp2012.06.11.5.28.c9150

Correspondence

ldrudge-coates@nhs.net bruce.turner@homerton.nhs.uk

Peer review

This article has been subject to double blind peer review

Conflict of interest

None declared. A medical writer was used to prepare a literature review

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