Metastatic tumors in the oral and maxillofacial region:

Analysis of 13 cases with a review of Japanese Literature

Abstract

Thirteen tumors metastasizing in the oral and maxillofacial region were clinically investigated. Metastatic tumors accounted for 2.3% of overall primary oral malignant tumors (573 cases). The mean age was 60.0 years with a range of 14 to 73 years old. Nine of the 13 patients were male and 4 were female. The primary sites of the tumors included lung (5), kidney (3), colon and rectum (2), and 1 each in the stomach, mammary gland and adrenal gland. The locations of the metastasis included the soft tissues (10) and jaws (3). The usual symptoms of the metastatic lesions were well-demarcated swelling, and paresthesia of the mental region was noted in 2 cases of mandibular metastases. The histlogical types included adenocarcinoma (6) and 3 each for large cell carcinoma and renal cell carcinoma, and 1 for neuroblastoma.
In 3 cases, the oral metastatic lesion was the first sign of the primary malignant tumor. In 6 cases, the primary tumor was controlled, but multiple metastases were recognized in all cases. Four cases were treated palliatively and radically respectively, but 5 cases did not received treatment after biopsy.
In addition, in a review of the Japanese literature, 221 well-documented cases of metastatic tumors in the oral and maxillofacial region were analyzed. The most common primary organ was the lung (26.2%) followed by the liver (17.8%), colon and rectum (9.5%) and kidney (9.0%). In 33.7% of cases, the oral lesion was the first sign of the malignant disease.