Is Bevacizumab a Direct Cause of Osteonecrosis of the Jaw like Bisphosphonate? |Biomedgrid

In 2014, the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) published a revised position paper on osteonecrosis of the jaw in which cases caused by drugs other than bone resorption inhibitors, such as bevacizumab (an angiogenesis inhibitor), were labeled medicationrelated osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ). Bevacizumab (Avastin) binds to endothelial growth factor (VEGF) preventing its attachment to receptors located on the surface of endothelial cells, thus inhibiting angiogenesis. Although the first case of ONJ caused by bevacizumab was described in 2008, clinical cases of ONJ have since been described in which the use of bevacizumab is the only clear risk factor. This mini-review aims to summarize ONJ associated with bevacizumab, which was first recognized by the AAOMS in 2014.