Metastatic tumors in oral mucosa and jawbones: Unusual primary origins and unusual oral locations.

AIM: To perform clinico-pathological characterization of a large series of oral metastases, collected from 3 main medical centers in Israel and compare findings to data on frequency of primary cancer types in the population. MATERIALS: Pathology archives were searched for cases of metastatic tumors to the oral soft tissues and jawbones, 1990 - 2016. Metastases to the skin of face or to major salivary glands have been excluded. Demographic data and histopathological features were analyzed. RESULTS: Study population included 60 patients, 35 females and 25 males (ratio of 1.4:1). The age range was 17-87 years, mean 67.7 + 14.36 years. Only 3 (5%) patients were under 40 years, the remaining clustered predominantly in the 60-80 year age group. The mean age of females (59 + 13.84) was significantly lower than that of males (67.44 + 14) (p = 0.03). There was an almost equal distribution between the oral soft tissue and the jawbones (48.3% and 51.7%, respectively). The five most common organs from which metastases were distributed to the oral cavity and jawbones combined were kidney (20%), breast (15%), cutaneous (predominately melanoma, 13%), lung (11.7%) and soft tissue-sarcomas (8.3%). For comparison, Israel National Cancer Registry 2013 reported that the most frequent malignancies were breast (25.8%), colorectal cancer (16.3%), lung (12%) and prostate (10%). Malignant melanoma was 6th (5.4%), kidney malignancy was only 9th in frequency (4.2%). Although the gingiva and jawbones were the most frequent locations, some cases presented in unusual locations, (mandibular vestibule, lower lip, posterior dorsal tongue), without any specific clinical feature to suggest metastasis. CONCLUSIONS: The most frequent primary origins for oral metastasis do not correspond to the relative frequency of the primary tumors in the population, indicating that metastatic spread is not a random process. Although the majority of metastasis involves the gingiva and jawbones, any other oral mucosal location might be involved. Thus, in adult/older patients, metastasis from a distant site should be included in the differential diagnosis of oral masses at any oral location, whether the existence of a primary tumor is reported or not.

Odontogenic sinusitis involving the frontal sinus: is middle meatal antrostomy enough?

OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS: Inflammatory conditions of the posterior maxillary teeth may cause odontogenic sinusitis (OS), which most commonly involves the maxillary sinus due to its proximity to those teeth. The infective process frequently spreads outside the maxillary sinus, involving the anterior ethmoid and the frontal sinuses. The underlying odontogenic condition must be addressed before or during the surgical procedure. The role of frontal sinusotomy in this setting has not been studied. The aim of this study is to present the surgical outcome of patients who presented with OS involving the frontal sinus and were managed by middle meatal antrostomy alone. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. METHODS: All patients operated in our department due to OS involving the frontal sinus from November 2015 to December 2017 were recruited. Their demographics, complaints, imaging and endoscopic findings, surgical features and outcome were analyzed. RESULTS: Twenty-five patients (male-to-female ratio 9:16) with a median age of 49 years (IQR = 43-53) were enrolled. The maxillary, frontal and anterior ethmoid sinuses were involved in each case, and each patient underwent maxillary middle meatal antrostomy alone. The median follow-up was 10 months, and no signs of active frontal disease were detected by postoperative endoscopy in any patient. CONCLUSION: Frontal sinusotomy is apparently not necessary to resolve OS involving the frontal sinus. The frontal sinusitis may reflect a reactive process that regresses spontaneously once the underlying odontogenic condition is addressed and a middle meatal antrostomy had been performed. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2B.

The Spectrum of Oral Lesions Presenting Clinically With Papillary-Verrucous Features.

PURPOSE: We sought to study the spectrum of oral pathologies presenting clinically with papillary-verrucous features. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 10-year (2007 to 2016) retrospective study of oral papillary lesions was undertaken. All biopsy reports that included a clinical description of papillary or verrucous architecture were retrieved. The data collected included clinical features, size, color, location, histopathologic diagnosis, age, and gender. RESULTS: The study included 137 patients, with a total of 150 lesions. The ages ranged from 10 weeks to 84 years (mean, 49 years). Histopathologically, 60% of cases were human papillomavirus (HPV) related, 19% showed hyperplasia, 11% had hyperplastic candidiasis, 7% were dysplastic or malignant, and 3% were benign of unknown etiology. Among the 7% of lesions diagnosed with dysplasia or malignancy, only 60% were suspected to have malignancy at the time of biopsy. HPV-related lesions and hyperplasia were most frequently found on the tongue (38% and 41%, respectively) and soft palate (21% and 14%, respectively). Hyperplastic candidiasis was most frequently found on the buccal mucosa and tongue (35% and 24%, respectively). Squamous cell carcinoma was found in 1.3% of total lesions and verrucous carcinoma in 1.3%. Of the verrucous or papillary malignant lesions, 50% were found on the gingiva. Most malignant lesions occurred in the 40- to 60-year age group. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that, because of the wide spectrum of entities presenting clinically with a papillary-verrucous architecture, biopsy is necessary for diagnosis. The clinical presentation allowed for overall accurate diagnosis in only 47% of cases and 60% accuracy in dysplastic or malignant cases. It is of considerable importance to correctly identify those lesions that are HPV related but at the same time to rule out those lesions that are unrelated to HPV to help alleviate a patient's anxiety. Most important, biopsy is mandatory for the recognition of malignant lesions with a papillary-verrucous architecture, which may mimic other benign entities in the group of papillary-verrucous lesions.

Primary Oral Malignancy Imitating Peri-Implantitis.

PURPOSE: To describe new cases of primary malignancy arising around dental implants. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three patients presented with asymptomatic lesions around longstanding dental implants that resembled peri-implantitis. One case was primary large B-cell lymphoma and the remaining cases were primary squamous cell carcinoma in patients with oral lichen planus. The literature was reviewed for cases mimicking peri-implantitis. RESULTS: Of 42 implant-associated malignancies reported from 2000 through 2014, 85.7% were squamous cell carcinoma (69% primary and 9.4% metastatic). Most patients presented with pre-existing risk factors for oral cancer. Lymphoma was not associated with dental implants. CONCLUSIONS: Primary and metastatic malignancies can occur in peri-implant mucosa, often with clinical and radiographic features resembling peri-implantitis. Clinicians should have a high index of suspicion for changes in peri-implant mucosa in patients with existing risk factors; however, rare cases such as lymphoma might present outside this risk population. Histopathologic analysis should be included in the management of selected peri-implant lesions to avoid delayed diagnosis of malignancy.