Metastatic carcinoma to the mandible that mimicked pulpal/periodontal disease

An oral cavity metastasis from a poorly differentiated carcinoma, presumed to have originated in the pancreas, mimicked a dental abscess. An additional metastasis to the lung caused a postobstructive lobar pneumonia that masked the lesion, thereby delaying the diagnosis of malignancy. This case report illustrates how the clinical manifestations of a widely disseminated neoplasm led to initial medical confusion and subsequent dental misdiagnosis, and serves to caution of a possible pitfall in the dental evaluation of endodontic lesions.