Oral soft tissue Metastases of distant cancers

The oral cavity is not a preferred site for metastasis of distant cancers, accounting for only 1% of all oral cancers. Almost all types of cancers can spread to the oral cavity, and usually are late presentation. Sometimes the oral metastasis may manifest as a benign lesion and may cause challenges in its diagnosis. All patients with oral cavity metastasis diagnosed at King Hussein cancer center (KHCC) during the period between 2007-2012 were studied retrospectively from the medical records and the histopathology database. In the 5 year period studied, 12 cases of oral cavity metastasis were diagnosed. Male to female ratio was 2:1. Most common cancer to metastasize to the oral cavity is lung in males and breast in females. All cases had poor prognosis and were part of a widely metastatic disease. Aim of treatment was palliative in all cases. Oral cavity metastasis remains an uncommon entity that is underreported and not well understood as unfortunately these lesions are not separately reported by cancer registries thus their exact epidemiology cannot be estimated correctly. Metastasis to the oral cavity indicates poor prognosis and usually is part of a widely spread disease.