Hepatocellular carcinoma metastatic to the oral mucosa: report of a case with multiple gingival localizations

Pancreatic Carcinoma Metastatic to the Gingiva

Metastatic tumors to the oral cavity are uncommon, representing approximately 1% of all cases of oral malignant lesions even when a metastatic disease is present. The 53-year-old female is presented complaining of abdominal pain, weight loss, and a loose stool recurring not more than three times per day. A computed tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen showed a retroperitoneal mass expanding along the body of the pancreas. Colonoscopy and gastroscopy with a gastric mucosa biopsy showed a normal result. After laparoscopic surgery, the primary site of adenocarcinoma was not confirmed. The patient was referred to the Maxillofacial Surgery Clinic with pain, swelling, and occasional bleeding around the lower right second mollar. Immunohistochemicaly, the tumor cells were positive for Cytokeratin (CK) 19, Cytokeratin (CK) 7, and homebox protein (CDX-2), which are highly sensitive markers of pancreatobiliar cancer. Therefore, the patient was diagnosed with pancreatic carcinoma. This report describes a rare metastasis of malignant pancreatic tumor to the lower right gingiva and highlights the importance of immunohistochemical examination and how it helped identify both the origin and the nature of gingival neoplasm.

Evaluation of Dental Health in Terminally Ill Patients

Dental health plays an imperative role in the general health and well-being of an individual. Terminally ill patients due to a compromised immune response are susceptible to a wide array of oral complications, which may affect their ability to speak and chew, leading to malnutrition. The present study was conducted to evaluate dental health and various oral manifestations in terminally ill patients. One hundred twenty terminally ill patients hospitalized with diseases of the respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract, circulatory system, liver, and endocrinal disorders were included in the study. The evaluation of oral manifestations and their prevalence was done by a single examiner. The oral health was evaluated according to symptoms exhibited by the patients and clinical presentation. Of the patients included in the study, 78 were male, and 42 were female. All the individuals were adults between 25 to 55 years of age. Out of 120 admitted terminally ill patients, 27 subjects had respiratory diseases, 17 had gastrointestinal disorders, 5 had disorders of the circulatory system, 39 had liver disorders, and 32 had endocrine disorders. A need for added comprehension is mandatory to link the inter-relationships between dentistry and medicine to further perk up the management of the overall health of patients, which will further reinforce the partnership between dental and medical communities.

Gingival metastasis from primary hepatocellular carcinoma: a case report and literature review of 30 cases

BACKGROUND

Gingival metastasis from primary hepatocellular cancer (HCC) is rare, highly malignant, and generally has no distinct symptoms. Not performing a biopsy can lead to misdiagnosis. This article reports an 87-year-old male with gingival metastasis from HCC. To gain a better insight into this disease, we also conducted a literature review of 30 cases and discussed the clinical and pathological characteristics, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of this unusual form of liver cancer.

CASE PRESENTATION

An 87-year-old man was hospitalized with a chief complaint of chronic constipation and diffuse lower extremity edema. His past medical history included a three-year hepatitis B infection and a cerebral infarction 17 years prior. Imaging examination detected a massive hepatocellular carcinoma in the right liver lobe and multiple metastases in the lungs. Oral examinations revealed a reddish, cherry-sized exophytic mass on the right upper gum. The mass was tentatively diagnosed as a primary gingival tumor and was ultimately confirmed by biopsy as a metastatic carcinoma originating in the liver. The patient decided, with his guardians, to receive palliative care and not to remove the mass. Unfortunately, the patient accidentally bit the mass open; profuse bleeding ensued and local pressure exerted a poor hemostatic effect. The patient's condition worsened, and he eventually died of multiple organ failure. We also performed a literature review and discussed 30 cases of gingival metastases from HCC. The findings indicated that these lesions affected males more than females, with a ratio of 6:1, and infiltrated the upper gingivae (63.1%) more than the lower gingivae (36.7%). Survival analysis indicated that the overall survival for patients with upper gingival metastasis was worse than for those with lower gingival metastasis, and patients receiving treatments for primary liver cancer or metastatic gingival tumors had better overall or truncated survival times.

CONCLUSION

Gingival metastasis from primary hepatocellular carcinoma is rare, and its diagnosis has presented challenges to clinicians. To avoid a potential misdiagnosis, a biopsy is mandatory regardless of whether a primary cancer is located. Early diagnosis and treatment for primary liver cancer or metastatic gingival lesions may improve survival expectations.

Rare Gingival Metastasis by Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) uncommonly metastasizes to the gingiva, which always means a poor outcome. We reported a rare HCC case with multiple metastases to gingiva, lungs, and brain. A 60-year-old man was initially diagnosed as HCC with metastases to double lungs. He was subjected to a transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) (5-fluorouracil, 750 mg) and two cycles of intravenous chemotherapy (gemcitabine 1.8 g at days 1 and 8, oxaliplatin 200 mg at day 2, every 4 weeks). However, the volume of liver tumor still increased. A bean-size gingival nodule growing with occasional bleeding was also found. TACE (5-fluorouracil 750 mg, perarubicin 40 mg, cisplatin 20 mg) was performed again and an oral sorafenib therapy (400 mg, twice per day) was adopted. The disease maintained relatively stable for about 6 months until a second obvious progress. The gingival nodule was then palliatively excised and identified as a poorly differentiated metastatic HCC by histopathological examination. Best supportive treatments were made since the performance score was too bad. Finally, cerebral metastases occurred and the patient died of systemic failure. Upon review of previous reports, we discussed risk factors, clinical and pathological characteristics, treatments, and prognosis of gingival metastasis by HCC.

Metastasis to the oral soft tissues: A review of 412 cases

The present review article analyzes the characteristics of metastases to the oral soft tissues from 1937 to 2015. An extensive literature search was performed. All variables such as age, gender, and primary and secondary tumor sites were analyzed. Metastases to the major salivary glands were not included in this review. In general, there were 412 metastatic lesions developed in the oral soft tissues. The male-to-female ratio was approximately 1.8:1. The mean age of the patients at diagnosis was 58. The lung was the most common primary site and the gingiva was the most common metastatic site. The greater part of the histological examination yielded adenocarcinoma. The diagnosis of a metastatic lesion in the oral cavity is a challenge to the clinicians due to the lack of pathognomonic signs and symptoms. Oral metastases usually occur in the advanced stages of cancers, and the interval between appearance and death is usually short. The oral soft tissue metastasis can be easily recognized compared to the metastasis of jawbones. Early detection of oral lesions is important in the case of being the first sign of a malignancy in other parts of body.

Hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis to the gingival soft tissues: A case report and review of the literature

Metastases to the gingival soft tissues are rare in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). To the best of our knowledge, only 13 cases have been reported in English literature to date. The present study described the case of a 43-year-old Chinese man who was admitted to Tangdu Hospital (Xi'an, China) due to the presence of a gingival tumor that was initially diagnosed as granulation tissue by a dental surgeon. Examination of the patient's medical history revealed that a solid mass, measuring 1.5 cm in diameter, was identified in the right lobe of the liver 2 years prior to presentation at the current hospital; however, no biopsy was performed. Thus, the tumor was resected and histological examination resulted in an initial diagnosis of atypical squamous cell carcinoma. However, the histopathological characteristics, immunohistochemical features and serum α-fetoprotein expression levels supported a diagnosis of metastatic HCC. In conclusion, the present case study highlights the difficulties in diagnosing metastatic HCC without a history of primary HCC, and the importance of excluding a diagnosis of metastatic tumor when a lesion is identified in the gingival. Furthermore, it was determined that a final diagnosis of gingival metastasis of HCC predominantly depends on pathological characteristics and immunohistochemical features.

Lung adenocarcinoma presenting as a solitary gingival metastasis: a case report

Introduction

Gingival metastases are very rare and generally occur in disseminated tumors. We report a case of solitary gingival metastasis of lung cancer.

Case presentation

We report the case of a 74-year-old asymptomatic Caucasian woman affected by a rapidly growing, painless gingival swelling. Histopathologic examination of the excisional biopsy showed metastasis of poorly differentiated thyroid transcription factor 1-positive adenocarcinoma. A total-body computed tomographic scan revealed a tumor of the right lung lower lobe with ipsilateral, mediastinal lymph node swelling. Moreover, bone scintigraphy revealed no bone metastases. No other metastases were found, so we planned a multi-modal therapeutic approach with a curative intent. However, the tumor proved to be intrinsically resistant and highly aggressive.

Conclusion

The presentation of solitary gingival metastasis is exceptional. In view of its rapid clinical evolution, our case confirms that gingival metastasis is an important prognostic factor. This behavior raises the question whether the poor prognosis for patients with tumors with oral metastases depends on its diffuse spread or on its highly malignant nature.

Mucinous adenocarcinoma of lung presenting as oral metastases: a case report and literature review

BACKGROUND

Metastasis of a malignant tumor to the oral cavity is rare and can indicate an unknown primary tumor.

METHODS

Described is a case of metastatic tumor in the right jaw. The patient was a 50-year-old woman who consulted her dentist with complaints of tooth pain and an abscess. The clinical examination showed an abscess around the mandibular right first molar and second premolar tooth. Teeth were extracted and two periapical, nontypical cystic lesions were excised.

RESULTS

The histopathological analysis revealed mucinous malignant cells embedded in an inflammatory infiltration and fibrinous tissue. The diagnosis was metastatic mucinous adenocarcinoma. The lesion at the apex of teeth was the initial presenting site of the patient's lung cancer. There was no other site of metastasis.

CONCLUSIONS

There are typical dental apical cysts that do not usually require a histopathological examination, but mucinous and nontypical cysts must be sent for a histopathological examination. The case emphasizes the important role of dentists in diagnosing metastatic oral lesions and shows that even apparently benign atypical lesions in healthy patients need to be examined histopathogically.

Metastatic tumors to the oral and maxillofacial region: a retrospective study of 19 cases in West China and review of the Chinese and English literature

PURPOSE

The aim of this article was to obtain an overview of metastatic tumors to the oral and maxillofacial (OMF) region, especially the differences in the constituent ratios of primary cancers between the United States and China.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Clinical findings of 19 cases encountered in West China Hospital of Stomatology were summarized and the English and Chinese literature were reviewed and analyzed. The main clinical features of OMF metastases were summarized, with an emphasis on primary cancers' constituents.

RESULTS

The lung, breast, kidney, liver, and prostate were the top 5 common primary sites of cancer. However, there was a significant difference in the primary cancers' constituents between United States and China (P < .001). The breast, kidney, prostate cancers, and melanoma of skin were more frequent primary cancers in United States than in China, whereas that of the lung, thyroid, liver, esophagus, and the stomach were more common in China than in United States. The proportions of the OMF metastatic lesions originating in the lung, kidney, liver, thyroid, and esophagus in all OMF metastatic tumors were higher than the corresponding primary cancers' prevalent proportions.

CONCLUSIONS

The frequency of developing OMF metastasis is not always consistent with primary cancers' prevalence, which suggests that different cancers have different potentiality to develop OMF metastasis. Cancers of the kidney, liver, lung, thyroid, and esophagus were more likely to spread to the OMF region. In general screening of primary cancer, it would be helpful to take into account the metastatic potentiality of different cancers and primary cancers' prevalence in different countries in the case of occult primary.

Metastatic tumours to the oral cavity - pathogenesis and analysis of 673 cases

The oral region is an uncommon site for metastatic tumour cell colonization and is usually evidence of a wide spread disease. In 25% of cases, oral metastases were found to be the first sign of the metastatic spread and in 23% it was the first indication of an undiscovered malignancy at a distant site. The jawbones, particularly the mandible, were more frequently affected than the oral soft tissues (2:1). In the oral soft tissues, the attached gingiva was the most commonly affected site (54%). The major primary sites presenting oral metastases were the lung, kidney, liver, and prostate for men, breast, female genital organs (FGO), kidney, and colo-rectum for women. The primary site differs according to oral site colonization, in men the lung was the most common primary site affecting both the jawbones and oral mucosa (22% and 31.3%, respectively) followed by the prostate gland in the jawbones (11%) and kidney in the oral soft tissues (14%). In women, the breast was the most common primary tumour affecting the jawbones and soft tissues (41% and 24.3%, respectively), followed by the adrenal and female genital organs (FGO) in the jawbones (7.7%) and FGO in the soft tissues (14.8%). The clinical presentation of the metastatic lesions differ between the various sites in the oral region. In the jawbones most patients complain of swelling, pain and paresthesia which developed in a relative short period. Early manifestation of the gingival metastases resembled a hyperplastic or reactive lesion, such as pyogenic granuloma, peripheral giant cell granuloma, or fibrous epulis. Because of its rarity, the diagnosis of a metastatic lesion in the oral region is challenging, both to the clinician and to the pathologist, in recognizing that a lesion is metastatic and in determining the site of origin. The clinical presentation of a metastatic lesion in the oral cavity can be deceiving leading to a misdiagnosis of a benign process, therefore, in any case where the clinical presentation is unusual especially in patients with a known malignant disease a biopsy is mandatory.

Gingival metastasis of a bronchogenic adenocarcinoma: report of a case

We report the case of a 64-year-old patient suffering from a multiple metastatic bronchial adenocarcinoma, referred to our department for a gingival tumefaction. The diagnostic assumptions considered were those of a pyogenic granuloma, of a primary gingival carcinoma, or of a metastasis of the bronchial tumor. An excisional biopsy was carried out and the histopathologic examination confirmed the latter diagnosis. No complementary care was performed because of the multiple localizations and unfavorable prognosis. If metastases of pulmonary cancers represent the majority of gingival metastases, those of bronchial adenocarcinoma are very rare. Metastatic process could be facilitated by Batson's plexus, through the periodontal inflammation or the direct bronchotracheal way. The main clinical diagnostic difficulty is the distinction between benign lesion and malignant lesion, and between primary lesion and metastasis. Even if gingival metastases are rare, their semiological value incites the histopathologic examination of any presumedly benign tumor of the gingiva.

Undifferentiated Malignant Neoplasm Involving the Interdental Gingiva: A Case Report

BACKGROUND

Metastases to the gingiva are uncommon. They can be a diagnostic challenge clinically because of their rarity and tendency to mimic benign lesions. In this report, we present a case of an undifferentiated malignant neoplasm of unknown origin presenting as benign inflammatory gingival lesions and we review the literature on metastases to the gingiva.

METHODS

A 44-year-old female patient was referred by a local periodontist for evaluation of multiple painless gingival lesions that clinically resembled pyogenic granulomas or periodontal abscesses, but with an uncharacteristic multifocal presentation in the background of good oral hygiene. Her medical history was unremarkable except for recent weight loss. Periapical radiographs were obtained, as well as two incisional biopsies, one placed in formalin for routine histology and immunohistochemistry, the other in phosphate buffered saline for flow cytometry.

RESULTS

Radiographic findings were non-contributory for hard tissue pathoses. Histopathological findings were consistent with a poorly differentiated malignancy, suggestive of metastatic disease. Immunohistochemical studies and flow cytometry were unsupportive in delineating any tumor differentiation. The patient subsequently developed multiple tumors throughout the body with similar histopathological findings, yet no primary tumor was identified and a definitive diagnosis could not be rendered. She was discharged one month later in poor condition with the principal diagnosis of hemorrhage/ pancytopenia, and a secondary diagnosis of metastatic head and neck cancer.

CONCLUSION

This case of malignant metastatic tumor of unknown origin presenting as benign gingival lesions illustrates the importance of thorough patient evaluation, which should include a biopsy when necessary for definitive diagnosis.

Isolated gingival metastasis from hepatocellular carcinoma mimicking a pyogenic granuloma

BACKGROUND

Oral metastatic tumours are uncommon and account for approximately 1% of malignant oral neoplasms.

RESULTS

If the cases where the oral location is in the jawbone, with secondary invasion to the oral soft tissue, are excluded, only 10 cases of gingival metastasis from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have been previously reported in the literature. The clinicopathologic features of an HCC with gingival metastasis are reported. Six months after the multicentric HCC and alcoholic cirrhosis was diagnosed, a 65-year-old male patient presented a rapidly growing, lobulated and reddish exophytic lesion that was located in the gum in the incisal region of the upper jaw. The lesion was excised, and the final diagnosis of gingival metastasis of the HCC was established. Diagnostic investigations did not show any evidence of other metastatic lesions. This article describes a case with solitary metastasis from HCC in the gingiva, an event that, to our knowledge, has not been previously published.

CONCLUSIONS

The clinical appearance of isolated gingival metastasis from HCC in the present case mimicked a pyogenic granuloma.

Metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma of the maxillary sinus: a rare autopsy case without lung metastasis and a review

A rare case of metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) of the maxillary sinus in a 67-year-old man is reported along with the findings at autopsy. A fine needle aspiration biopsy specimen revealed a characteristic tumour structure resembling primary HCC. At autopsy, metastatic lesions were recognized in the bilateral adrenals, spleen, sternum, vertebrae and lymph node at the lesser curvature of the stomach, but not in the lung, suggesting that the HCC had metastasized to the maxillary sinus via the plexus venous vertebralis and/or the azygos vein, or lymph duct. In our reviewed 29 cases of metastatic HCC in the oro-maxillofacial region, most patients were men in the 50- to 70-year age range. At least 11 cases did not have lung metastasis, and in 18, metastasis to the oro-maxillofacial region was the first sign of HCC. One should be aware of the possibility to encounter the oral lesion as first sign of metastatic HCC.

Immunohistochemical characterization of canine intestinal epithelial and mesenchymal tumours with a monoclonal antibody to hepatocyte paraffin 1 (Hep Par 1)

Monoclonal antibody hepatocyte paraffin 1 (Hep Par 1) is reported to be highly specific and sensitive for hepatocellular tumours of humans and dogs. However, in a previous study we observed immunoreactivity for Hep Par 1 in an intestinal adenocarcinoma metastatic to the liver. In this paper, we examined normal intestine and 57 canine intestinal tumours including adenocarcinomas of the small and large intestine, colonorectal polyps, mucinous carcinomas, stromal tumours, leiomyosarcomas, fibrosarcoma, plasmacytomas, and osteosarcoma for immunoreactivity for Hep Par 1. Normal intestinal epithelial cells were strongly labelled, particularly at the base of crypts. However, epithelial cells in small intestinal neoplasms had variable reactivity for Hep Par 1. In contrast, normal colonic epithelium was seldom labelled, but hyperplastic or neoplastic colonic epithelium was usually reactive to Hep Par 1. Five of seven small intestinal adenocarcinomas, two of three large intestinal adenocarcinomas, two of three mucinous adenocarcinomas, and all (29) rectal polyps were positive for Hep Par 1. The staining was diffuse, granular and cytoplasmic. The only non-epithelial tumours positive for Hep Par 1 were two of four leiomyosarcomas. Hep Par 1 can be used to differentiate hepatocellular from biliary neoplasms but its value in differentiating metastatic tumours to the liver is questionable due to the reactivity of Hep Par 1 in many intestinal tumours.