13
Apr 2021
Breakthrough drug combination can heal damaged jawbone caused by radiotherapy
A study has found that people with debilitating jaw fractures caused by cancer treatment could be spared risky surgery by a breakthrough drug combination which heals damaged bone.
Radiotherapy to the neck and head, used to treat nose, throat and tongue cancers, can lead to problems with blood vessels connected to the lower jaw, sometimes triggering infections in the bone and in extreme cases, lead to fractures in the jaw.
Known as osteoradionecrosis, the condition can affect ten per cent of patients who undergo radiotherapy for neck and head cancers, affecting up to 1,000 people in the UK every year.
Until now, the only remedy has been surgery, which includes partial removal of the jaw or rebuilding it using bone from a leg, an intensive procedure and one that does not work in many cases.
The landmark study has found that giving patients two commonly prescribed drugs, tocopherol and pentoxifylline, not only stops bone deterioration but for over 50 per cent of patients, reverses it.
Study leader Dr Vinod Patel, consultant oral surgeon at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, said he hoped the findings would result in other cancer specialists taking on the treatment. He added “We’ve seen broken jaw bones that have healed with no surgical input.”
Dr Patel is due to commence a larger clinical trial and hopes the results will convince NHS regulators to include the treatment as part of the standard care for those suffering from osteoradionecrosis.
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Posted by Tony May, Partner/head of Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.
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