Gingival metastasis from a medullary thyroid carcinoma: case report

Abstract

Background: Metastatic tumors to the oral cavity are rare, representing about 1% of oral tumors, and they affect jaws more often than the oral soft tissues.

Methods: Fifteen cases of metastases to the jaw bones from thyroid carcinoma were found in a recent review, with no cases located in the oral mucosa.

Results: The authors describe the first cases of gingival metastasis from a thyroid medullary carcinoma.

Conclusions: Periodontists must recognize oral soft tissue metastases because they can be the first sign of an undiscovered malignancy, and they can be easily mistaken with several different benign lesions.