Osteogenic sarcoma of the tongue

Extraosseous osteosarcoma in the neck

BACKGROUND

Extraosseous osteosarcoma arising in the head and neck region is an exceptional finding, with a few isolated cases informed in the literature. We report a new case of a large high-grade extraosseous osteosarcoma located in the neck.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 74 year-old woman with a tumor on the right side of the neck was treated by complete surgical resection. The histopathological diagnosis was osteoblastic extraosseous osteosarcoma. PET-CT scan disclosed no evidence of disease in other areas. Patient received adjuvant radiotherapy and after 3 months of follow-up tumor activity was detected in the cavernous sinus and the patient died of disease one month later.

CONCLUSION

Extraosseous osteosarcoma in head and neck region is exceptional, and incisional biopsy is the only method to establish a diagnosis and the one to differentiate it from other bone-producing soft tissue tumors. Surgery is the gold standard for treatment of extraosseous osteosarcoma.

Primary osteogenic sarcoma of the tongue

A 56-year-old man presented with the difficulty of swallowing and respiratory distress due to a large tumour arising from the tongue and occupying the entire oral cavity. Histological examination revealed it to be an extraskeletal osteogenic sarcoma. The tumour was excised. After six weeks, he came back with massive local recurrence and bleeding from the tumour, but died despite chemotherapy. Review of the literature revealed only four other such cases of this rare tumour. A brief review of these four cases is also made.

Osteogenic sarcoma of the tongue: case report with light and electron microscopy studies and review of the literature

A case of osteosarcoma of the tongue is reported, with microscopic findings. The patient underwent chemotherapy, left hemiglossectomy, and neck dissection, followed by radiotherapy. Five years after initial therapy, he is still alive and well, with no evidence of recurrence.

Osteoma or chondroma of the tongue; a clinical and postmortem study

The occurrence of an osteoma or chondroma in the soft tissues of the oral cavity is rather uncommon. This anomaly occurs mainly on the tongue. Less than 60 cases have been published in the literature. In the first part of this treatise, 2 other patients are described, a 61-year-old female with a chondroma on the dorsum of the tongue and a 31-year-old female with an osteoma in the foramen caecum area. In the second part, the result of a post mortem study of 130 adult human tongues is reported. Not a single case of bone or cartilage formation was encountered in the cadaver tongues. The possible development of an osteoma or chondroma in embryonic life is discussed.

Osteosarcoma of the mandible: analysis of nine cases

A total of 16 cases of mandibular osteosarcoma were diagnosed histologically in Finland and reported to the Finnish Cancer Registry between 1953 and 1983. Review of the histologic slides confirmed the diagnosis in only nine cases. The overall five-year survival rate was 44%. Three patients who were free of clinical disease at the end of the follow-up period (mean, 9.9 years) either had tumors of low-grade malignancy (two cases) or had undergone prompt radical surgery (one case). The importance of radiography in the diagnosis of mandibular osteosarcoma is stressed, because the widening of the periodontal membrane spaces, the sunray effect, and the widening of the mandibular canal are almost pathognomonic for osteosarcoma.

Extrapulmonary oat-cell carcinoma of the tongue: an electron-microscopic study

An extrapulmonary oat-cell carcinoma arose in the tongue of a 62-year-old man who had a long history of cigarette smoking and ethanol ingestion. At presentation, he had the primary tongue lesion and cervical lymph-node metastases only, and search for a pulmonary primary was negative. Ten months later he died with metastases to liver, cerebrum, ribs, vertebrae, calvarium, and clavicle. Electron microscopy demonstrated cells with cytoplasmic processes and many dense-core neurosecretory granules that had a tendency to concentrate in the processes. Cells were linked by desmosomes. Electron microscopy is necessary for definitive diagnosis of extrapulmonary oat-cell carcinomas.