TMJ Metastasis: Evaluation of 3 Patients

Metastases of the articular process, temporomandibular joint (TMJ), are rare findings. Their frequency is around 5% of patients with metastatic involvement of the mandible. The most common primary tumor is adenocarcinoma of the lung in women and adenocarcinoma of the prostate in men. The authors present 3 patients with TMJ metastasis. These were metastasis of breast adenocarcinoma, prostate adenocarcinoma, and lung adenocarcinoma. TMJ metastases are rare but complicated to diagnose because their presence may be accompanied by symptoms typical of other TMJ diseases (discopathy, arthritis, osteoarthritis). However, the authors recommend the unequivocal exclusion of a metastatic process in cases where the patient has a positive cancer history and their complaints do not respond to usual therapy.