Connecticut Breast Health Initiative

University of Connecticut Health Center

Investigation of the Ability of the UCONNS (University of Connecticut OsteoNecrosis Numerical Scale) to Predict the Risk for the Developing Osteonecrosis of the Jaw in Women Receiving Bone-Modifying Therapies for Breast Cancer.

Awarded $50,000

About this Project:  

Osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ), first reported in 2003, is a serious clinical condition where exposed bone in the mouth persists for more than 6-8 weeks in spite of conservative therapy.  This condition has been associated with the use of nitrogen-containing biophosphonates (BPs), and another medication, Denosumab, both of which are used in cancer therapy.  Thus, ONJ can interrupt this important treatment regimen.  Despite recent research, the ability to predict which patients will develop this condition has remained elusive.  The cause of ONJ is not clearly defined, and there are a number of clinical and possibly genetic risk factors that likely contribute to its development.

The UCONNS scale was developed by the investigators who took their research employers famous abbreviation and incorporated it into their work as a name for the assessment tool they are using in the study.