Metastatic Tumours of the Oral Cavity in Malaysians: a Retrospective Study (1967–2007)

Objective: Metastatic tumours of the oral cavity are rare and usually present clinically as growths or as radiolucent lesions on radiographs. A retrospective study of all metastatic tumours diagnosed at the Stomatology Unit, Institute for Medical Research, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, was conducted to describe such lesions seen in Malaysians.Patients and Methods: The medical records of patients who were treated for metastatic tumours of the oral cavity from 1967 to 2007 were reviewed retrospectively. Variables examined included age at presentation, gender, race, clinical presentations, radiographic findings, diagnosis, and primary tumour site. To arrive at a definitive diagnosis, a history of malignancy elsewhere in the body was correlated with the clinical findings.Results: Forty patients were treated for metastatic tumours of the oral cavity and lesions from unknown primary sites included metastatic carcinoma (n = 18), metastatic adenocarcinoma (n = 3), and metastatic leiomyosarcoma (n = 1). The known primary tumours included metastatic adenocarcinoma from the breast (n = 4), metastatic carcinoma from the thyroid (n = 4), and other metastatic lesions from the lungs (n = 2), rectum (n = 1), cervix (n = 1), prostate (n = 1), testis (n = 1), uterus (n = 1), and sacroiliac (n = 1), gluteal (n = 1) and limb (n = 1) regions. There were 20 men and 20 women, with age ranging from 19 to 83 years. There were 18 Malays, 8 Chinese, 3 Indians, and 11 patients of other ethnicity in the group. The mandible was the main site of metastasis (n = 21), followed by the alveolus (n = 8), maxilla (n = 5), hard palate (n = 3), retromolar region (n = 2), and tongue (n = 1).Conclusions: In recent years, the use of immunohistochemistry has been helpful for diagnosing the possible site of primary tumours. In the absence of a history of malignancy, clinicians should investigate further to determine the primary site of the tumour.