Abstract
Tumor metastasis to the oral cavity is very rare. Therefore, differential diagnosis of metastatic tumors and primary tumors in the oral cavity is frequently difficult. In the present study, we clinically examined seven cases of metastatic tumor to oral cavity, and compared clinical findings of our cases with previous reports.
Metastatic sites in the oral cavity were two cases in the maxilla, one case in the upper gingiva, and four cases in the mandible. Primary organs of the metastatic tumors were lung in three cases, and one case for each of prostate, colon, liver, and skin of the lower limbs. Histological diagnoses of the metastastic tumors were four cases of adenocarcinoma, two cases of squamous cell carcinoma, and one case of malignant melanoma. Clinical manifestation were two cases of painful swelling, four cases of painless swelling, and one case of a painless tumor. Time till metastasis to the oral cavity after primary treatment was within five months in four cases, nine months in one case, and 10 years in one case. In one case, the metastatic tumor was found before the primary tumor. Only two cases of metastatic tumors in the oral cavity were treated ; the other cases were not treated. Prognosis of the metastatic tumors was very poor, and five of the seven patients died within eignt months after metastasis to the oral cavity.
These results suggest that it is nesessary to differentially diagnose and to carefully examine for tumor metastasis to the oral cavity.
