Isolated Sternal Metastasis in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Report of Two Cases

In patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer, it is common for the disease to spread to distant organs, most often the lungs, liver, or bones. While we frequently see the cancer move into the skeletal system, finding it in the sternum is extremely rare. Because sternal involvement happens so seldom, it remains a poorly understood and rarely documented part of oncology. Here, we report two patients with sternal metastases as the sole metastatic site that developed within one year of completing radiotherapy. The first patient, a 64-year-old male with laryngeal cancer, presented at a one-year follow-up with a rapidly progressing infraclavicular swelling fixed to the sternum. The second patient, a 46-year-old male with buccal mucosa cancer, developed a firm manubrial swelling during the fourth week of adjuvant radiotherapy. Both cases were confirmed as metastatic squamous cell carcinoma and managed with palliative intent. Sternal metastasis in head and neck cancer is rare and signifies advanced disease with a poor prognosis.