Abstract
Renal cell carcinoma, which has clear cells in 70% of cases, has a high frequency of hematogenous distant metastases to lung, bone, liver, and other areas. Metastatic cancer accounts for 1 to 3% of malignant tumors in the stomatognathic region, and the metastasis of renal cell carcinoma to the oral mucosal tissue, though extremely rare, does occur. In addition, clear cells have been observed in some salivary gland cancers in the oral cavity. Therefore, the differential diagnosis of metastatic renal cell carcinoma and salivary gland cancer is important. This review discusses the differential diagnosis between metastatic renal cell carcinoma and malignant tumors of the salivary gland.
Highlights
The oral cavity is an extremely rare site of cancer metastasis
Clear cell carcinomas of the salivary glands are usually seen as nests of clear cells divided by thin, fibrous connective septa and irregular vascular tissue
It is known that renal cell carcinoma (RCC) rarely metastasizes to the head and neck
Summary
The oral cavity is an extremely rare site of cancer metastasis. Metastases account for approximately only 1% of all malignant tumors in the oral cavity [1]. Clear cells, which are either epithelial or mesenchymal cells consisting of pale or clear cytoplasm that have a distinct nucleus, can be observed in both benign and malignant epithelial, mesenchymal, melanocytic, and hematopoietic tumors, they are relatively rare in the head and neck region [4]. Because they share similar histological features, it is difficult to make definitive diagnosis in many of these tumors when clear cells predominate [5]. The diagnosis of clear cell tumors may be made challenging by these changes
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