Preventing Skeletal Related Events In Veterans On Bisphosphonates For Bone Metastases

e17654 Background: Multiple myeloma and solid tumor metastases can cause bone disease leading to skeletal-related events (SREs) such as bone pain, fractures and spinal cord compression. Intravenous bisphosphonate therapy which is indicated in such cases can lead to osteonecrosis of the jaw and hypocalcemia putting patients at risk for SREs. To decrease these risks, patients require dental evaluation prior to start of bisphosphonate therapy and should be initiated on calcium and vitamin D supplementation. Even with these practice recommendations in place, there is paucity of data on compliance with these recommendations. Our study of veterans with bone metastases or multiple myeloma aimed to 1) Identify those treated with intravenous bisphosphonates. 2) Assess screening dental evaluation prior to treatment. 3) Measure effectiveness of calcium and vitamin D supplementation on bone health. Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center of 118 veterans with multiple my...