Oral Health and Dental Management

An up-date of oral complications in the era of novel agents in onco-haematology

12^th World Congress on Dentistry and Oral Health

August 04-05, 2016 Manchester, UK

Samantha Pozzi, Andrea Forabosco and Giovanna Garuti

University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: Oral Health Dent Manag

Abstract:

In the era of novel cancer treatments, both cancer doctors and dentists are observing drug related oral toxicities. Hence, awareness and multidisciplinary approach is necessary to improve the management of the patients. The oral mucositis which is secondary to chemotherapy, and especially in high-dose chemotherapy during the transplant setting, has now become the focus of several studies. Doctors are also well aware of acute and long term toxicities due to radiation of head and neck. Starting from 2003, Osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) related to the administration of bisphosphonates represented a new challenge in the cancer care. Due to the recognition of the risk and the introduction of preventive strategies and combined therapeutic approaches, the number of new cases and the most severe consequences have become limited. More recently, the introduction of novel anti-cancer drugs and antiresorptive agents highlighted, oral complications with some similarities and some new aspects compared with the chemotherapy-induced mucositis, and bisphosphonate related ONJ. In particular, target therapies like everolimus, an m-TOR inhibitor, and EGFR-inhibitors induce mucosal lesions, ranging from mucositis to aphthous-like ulcers. Whereas, the novel antiresorptive agent denosumab, an anti-RANKL moncolonal antibody, and antiangiogenetic drugs have demonstrated a potential risk in inducing ONJ, increasing the number of drugs involved in bone damage of the mandible and maxilla. In the current presentation, we will present an up-date of the oral complications in the era of novel cancer treatments in order to inform the specialists, promote a multidisciplinary approach and improve patients care.

Biography :

Samantha Pozzi has specialized in Haematology. She is an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy. She is a Teacher of Internal Medicine at the Dental School of University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy. She was a Post-doctoral Researcher at Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital, USA. She has published clinical research on Bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (BRONJ) and translational research on bisphosphonates, myeloma and lymphomas. She is Principal Investigator and Co-investigator in several clinical trials in Onco-haematology.

Email: samantha.pozzi@unimore.it