Tongue metastasis from carcinoma of the rectum

A case report of a patient with carcinoma of the rectum with metastasis to the tongue clinically mimicking a primary tongue neoplasm is described. The patient presented with an ulcer in the tongue three years after undergoing an anterior resection for a Dukes C carcinoma of the rectum. Other asymptomatic metastatic lesions were discovered only after the histology report suggested that the tongue ulcer biopsy was metastatic in origin. Metastatic tumour to the tongue is extremely rare and often occurs at a late stage, when there is disseminated disease. We are not aware of any reported case of tongue metastasis from carcinoma of the rectum.