Buccodental Toxicities Induced by Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in Patients Diagnosed with Renal Cell Carcinoma—A Literature Review

TL;DR

This review discusses common mouth and dental side effects caused by cancer drugs called tyrosine kinase inhibitors in kidney cancer patients and suggests ways to manage them.

Contribution

The paper provides a clinical management framework for TKI-induced buccodental toxicities in renal cell carcinoma patients.

Findings

TKI therapies for RCC frequently cause oral symptoms like stomatitis and xerostomia.

Dental damage and osteonecrosis of the jaws are significant adverse events linked to TKI use.

A clinical approach is proposed to manage these toxicities and improve patient outcomes.

Abstract

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), either as single agents or in combination with other drugs, have become a gold standard in many oncological pathologies. The identification, analysis, and clinical management of their multiple and various systemic adverse events are a clear requirement and represent a true challenge in daily practice. For this narrative review, registration clinical trials that have led to the approval of certain TKI protocols in the setting of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) were identified via the latest version of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) kidney cancer guidelines. The following keywords were used: Axitinib, Cabozantinib, Lenvatinib, Pazopanib, Sorafenib, Sunitinib, and Tivozanib. RCC therapies have been proven to frequently induce oral symptoms and pathologies such as stomatitis, dysgeusia, xerostomia, osteonecrosis of the jaws, oral dysesthesia, geographic tongue, and dental and periodontal damage. The aim of this review is to emphasize the mechanisms of these common drug-induced buccodental toxicities associated with TKI therapies in RCC and to draft a general clinical management of these adverse events, in order to improve patients’ quality of life and treatment adherence.

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