Letter to the Editor
Serum VEGF levels as predictive marker of bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw
1 Department of Medical Oncology, Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome, Rome, Italy
2 Department of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome, Rome, Italy
Journal of Hematology & Oncology 2012, 5:56 doi:10.1186/1756-8722-5-56
Published: 17 September 2012Abstract
Recent studies have been reported that angiogenesis suppression may play a role in developing bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (B-ONJ). According to these evidence we evaluated the role of VEGF as predictive marker of B-ONJ onset. Of the 81 patients, 6 developed B-ONJ following bisphosphonate treatment. These patients showed a strongest decrease in VEGF circulating levels at day 7 and at day 21 after the first administration. These data demonstrated for the first time that the anti-angiogenic properties of bisphosphonates are directly linked to B-ONJ pathogenesis and serum VEGF levels could represent an effective early predictive marker.
