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Summary
We describe a case of a 70-year-old man presenting with a mandibular metastasis as the first sign of a mucinous adenocarcinoma of the rectum. After 6 months of a protracted toothache, the patient presented with a palpable mandibular mass and trismus, precluding adequate clinical evaluation. A CT scan was performed, and imaging findings suggested an aggressive primary jawbone tumour, most likely an osteosarcoma. However, biopsy and further patient’s management proved to be a metastasis. Metastasis to the oral cavity account for only 1%–3% of all malignant oral tumours, and the mandible is the most frequent site. Clinical presentation can be quite variable, and most often a primary malignancy is already known. Jawbone metastases are a sign of disseminated malignant neoplasms, with poor prognosis and usually an indication for palliative therapy.
- oncology
- colon cancer
- head and neck cancer
- radiology
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Footnotes
Contributors The first author, JCS, was the main writer of the article, responsible also for the bibliographic research. The second author, DR, was responsible for reviewing and also for acquiring the radiological images. The third author, MR, was responsible for searching the pathology images, as well giving an adequate legend and review of the pathology information. The final author, AB, was the coordinator and final reviewer of all the content of this article.
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests None declared.
Patient consent Next of kin consent obtained.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.