Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Jan;38(1):37-48.
doi: 10.1007/s11282-021-00523-9. Epub 2021 Mar 20.

Radiological spectrum of metastasis to the oral and maxillofacial region

Chané Nel  1 , André Uys  2 , Liam Robinson  2 , Christoffel J Nortjé  3
Affiliations

Radiological spectrum of metastasis to the oral and maxillofacial region

Chané Nel et al. Oral Radiol. 2022 Jan.

Abstract

Objective: Oral and maxillofacial metastasis may be the first indication of an undiscovered malignancy in a significant number of cases. Therefore, the rationale of this article is to highlight the clinical and radiological presentation of metastatic lesions involving the oral and maxillofacial region. This will serve as a reference for clinicians, who may first encounter patients with possible metastatic lesions in this region.

Methods: Histologically confirmed cases of oral and maxillofacial metastasis were retrospectively reviewed over a 30-year period. Twenty-three patients were included in the study. The following clinical information was reviewed: age at diagnosis, gender, medical history, main complaint, site of metastatic tumour, radiological features, preliminary clinical diagnosis and final histological diagnosis.

Results: Females were twice as commonly affected, with metastatic lesions three times more likely to occur in the mandible. Common clinical presentations included swelling, pain and paraesthesia, with non-specific dental-related symptoms occurring in a few cases. Fifteen cases presented radiologically with an osteolytic lesion with poorly demarcated margins. Four cases presented with well demarcated lesions with additional signs of destruction. Additionally, four cases showed an osteogenic radiological appearance. In the current population sample, metastasis to the oral and maxillofacial region most commonly originated from the breast.

Conclusion: Lesions with poorly demarcated margins with cortical destruction, accompanied by clinical signs of swelling, pain and paraesthesia in the absence of any inflammatory process, should raise suspicion for metastasis. Considering the poor prognosis of these metastatic lesions, the responsibility lies with the clinician to identify these lesions and make appropriate referrals.

Keywords: Malignant neoplasms; Metastasis; Oral and maxillofacial pathology; Oral and maxillofacial region; Radiology; Undiscovered malignancy.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Kumar GS, Manjunatha BS. Metastatic tumors to the jaws and oral cavity. J Oral Maxillofac Pathol. 2013;17:71–5. https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-029X.110737 . - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    1. Lim SY, Kim SA, Ahn SG, Kim HK, Kim SG, Hwang HK, Kim BO, Lee SH, Kim JD, Yoon JH. Metastatic tumours to the jaws and oral soft tissues: a retrospective analysis of 41 Korean patients. Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2006;35:412–5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijom.2005.12.001 . - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hashimoto N, Kurihara K, Yamasaki H, Ohba S, Sakai H, Yoshida S. Pathological characteristics of metastatic carcinoma in the human mandible. Oral Pathol. 1987;16:362–7. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0714.1987.tb00709.x . - DOI
    1. Cai Z, Zhu C, Wang L, Zhu L, Zhang Z, Zhu H, Wang Y. A retrospective study of six patients with mandibular metastatic carcinoma. Oncol Lett. 2016;11:3650–4. https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2016.4484 . - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    1. Hirshberg A, Shnaiderman-Shapiro A, Kaplan I, Berger R. Metastatic tumours to the oral cavity—pathogenesis and analysis of 673 cases. Oral Oncol. 2008;44:743–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oraloncology.2007.09.012 . - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources