Sunitinib is commonly used in the treatment of patients with renal cell carcinoma and is associated with serious side-effects. We present the first report of a recurrent submandibular fistula in a patient treated with sunitinib. A 68-year-old man was referred to our clinic for a cutaneous fistula situated on the right side of his lower jaw. The patient had been diagnosed with bone metastases from a renal carcinoma 2 years ago and had received a single 4 mg dose of zoledronic acid and subsequent treatment with sunitinib 37.5 mg once daily for the past 4 weeks. The patient was treated surgically by a perilesional incision and primary closure with sutures, advised on meticulous oral hygiene and was kept on an antimicrobial agent in the form of clindamycin. After reinitiating his oncological treatment with sunitinib the cutaneous fistula re-appeared and bone abnormalities were also detected on his X-ray. After 18 months a contralateral cutaneous fistula was observed along with a spontaneous avulsion of the patient’s left molar. Repeat surgical treatment and sequestrectomy was performed with the subsequent histopathological examination revealing a suspicion of osteonecrosis of the jaw and an associated Actinomyces infection.

Osteonecrosis of the jaw represents interference by external and internal factors in the natural bone remodeling system. Numerous bone remodeling agents (BMAs), such as bisphosphonates, denosumab, and tyrosine kinase inhibitors, can lead to medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ). This is a serious condition that ocurs as a side-effect of treatment in patients with osteoporosis or malignancies. Antiresorptive drugs are medications that target osteoclasts with the aim of preventing bone resorption and are used to treat osteoporosis, osteopenia, and a variety of other conditions, such as Paget’s disease. They are also used in cancer patients with active bone metastases where antiresorptive treatment is used for the prevention of skeletal complications. Poor dental health, infections, and especially dental surgery are the primary causes of MRONJ, while other risk factors, such as smoking, alcohol abuse, and diabetes mellitus, can also influence its development. Prevention is the key component of management, and thus awareness of the risk factors among prescribers is very important. The aim of our study was to evaluate current knowledge about MRONJ among BMA prescribers in an academic hospital and their awareness about oral health and dental check-ups. By using a custom-designed questionnaire addressed to general and internal medical practitioners, endocrinologists, rheumatologists, and oncologists as an instrument for collecting data, we tried to identify trends in BMA prescription among different specialists and their recommended preventative measures, with the aim of creating new strategies to prevent the occurrence of MRONJ. The survey revealed a low awareness among physicians of the potential risk factors and underlined the need for a concerted effort to improve patient management. In this sense, a multidisciplinary team approach that includes the patient, the drug prescriber, the dentist, and the oral surgeon could significantly improve the quality of life of patients with MRONJ.