Bronchial adenocarcinoma presenting as a lingual tonsillar metastasis

Abstract

We describe a case of a lingual tonsillar metastasis as the first manifestation of a bronchial adenocarcinoma. Tonsillar metastases infrequently become manifest before the diagnosis of the primary neoplasm. A review of the literature disclosed 89 cases of carcinoma metastasizing to the palatine tonsil, but no one has reported the involvement of the lingual tonsil. Our patient is the first described case of bronchogenic carcinoma with this unusual form of presentation and furthermore is also the first carcinoma metastasizing to the lingual tonsil.