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Case Reports
. 2021 Apr 12;14(4):e241166.
doi: 10.1136/bcr-2020-241166.

Tongue: the unusual site in malignant pleural mesothelioma

Iskandar Zulqarnain Bin Mohamed  1 , Matthew Idle  2 , Timothy Bates  3 , Sundus Yahya  4
Affiliations
Case Reports

Tongue: the unusual site in malignant pleural mesothelioma

Iskandar Zulqarnain Bin Mohamed et al. BMJ Case Rep. .

Abstract

Malignant mesotheliomas (MMs) are malignancies of the mesothelium, with primary deposits originating in the pleura, peritoneum, pericardium and the tunica vaginalis (ie, testicular). Metastatic spread is commonly reported to affect the liver, adrenal glands, kidney and contralateral lung (in cases of malignant pleural mesothelioma). Metastases to distant sites are uncommon. Spread to the oral cavity in particular is very rare. A total of 23 cases of metastatic spread to the oral cavity have been reported in the literature to date; of those, 9 cases have been to the tongue. Given the rarity of the site of metastasis, the management remains challenging. This case highlights a rare site of metastasis in MM, discusses treatment options available and briefly talks about technical limitations in treating a mobile structure such as the tongue. Good palliative and supportive care is crucial in managing cases where no curative treatment is possible.

Keywords: lung cancer (oncology); mouth; oral and maxillofacial surgery.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
One of the shoulder lesions identified as skeletal/subcutaneous metastatic spread.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Dorsal tongue lesion on oral examination (postbiopsy).
Figure 3
Figure 3
CT neck/thorax slice showing tongue lesion.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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