[Metastatic carcinoma to the oral tissues and jaws: a study of 25 cases]

In a series of 2,409 oral and jaw malignant tumors, 25 are metastatic account for 1% of malignant tumors in these regions. The commonest sites of the primary tumors were uterus and thyroid (5 cases each), followed by lung and liver (4 cases each), breast and stomach (2 cases each), femur, kidney and esophagus (1 case each) Among 25 cases, 13 occurred in oral soft tissues (12 in gingiva and 1 lip) and 12 in the jaws Alterations in sensation of the lip was the commonest oral symptoms when the metastatic tumors occurred in the mandible. On the radiograms, osteolytic destruction (9/12) was more common than osteogenic (2/12) or cyst-like change (1/12). In the patients with metastatic tumor of oral soft tissues, the bone may be unchanged (4/10), or involved similar to those in carcinoma of gingiva (4/10) or periodontal diseases (2/10).