A case of maxillary metastatic osteosarcoma eradicated by transcatheter arterial chemo-embolization and radiation

Abstract

Transcatheter arterial chemo-embolization (TACE) is mainly used to treat hepatocellular carcinoma and renal carcinoma. This technique has been rarely used to treat oral malignancy. We present a case of metastatic osteosarcoma arising in the maxilla that was eradicated by TACE and radiation.
The patient was a 22-year-old woman who presented with gingival swelling of the right upper incisor region. She had a medical history of osteosarcoma of the left fibula. Radiographic examination revealed resorption of the right maxilla with nodular opacity of both lungs. Histopathologic examination confirmed the presence of metastatic osteosarcoma in the maxilla, and an incisional biopsy of the lung revealed malignant thymoma. TACE with Co⁶⁰ radiation therapy resulted in marked regression of the tumor, and no recurrence was detected during the year before the patient died of respiratory failure.