[Bone metastases in the maxilla as first manifestation of renal cell cancer. A case report]. / Die ossäre Metastase im Oberkiefer als Erstmanifestation eines Nierenzellkarzinoms. Ein Fallbericht.

BACKGROUND: Bone metastases in the upper jaw are relatively rare but not unusual in oral and maxillofacial surgery. In many cases finding the primary tumour is difficult because of its occult location. CASE REPORT: We describe a 53-year-old female patient who suffered from a tumor in the oral cavity. The first histological and clinical diagnosis revealed a granuloma pyogenicum. Because of the delayed healing process another biopsy became necessary showing a metastasis of an unknown primary tumor. Diagnostic procedures detected an adenocarcinoma of the left kidney with pelvic metastases. Appropriate surgical intervention and chemotherapy were subsequently initiated. CONCLUSION: The present case report demonstrates how difficult it can be to provide the right pathological diagnosis in biopsy material even regarding obvious malignancy. Therefore thorough diagnostic efforts are indispensable to facilitate the causal treatment of an unknown primary tumor.