Follicular carcinoma of the thyroid gland with initial presentation as an oral soft tissue mass: Report of a case

Abstract

Metastatic tumors to the oral cavity and jaws are uncommon and comprise 1% to 3.2% of all malignant oral neoplasm.1,3 Such metastasis follows 2 recognized patterns:4 1) metastasis to the bones of the oral region, which may be associated with secondary extension into the adjacent oral soft tissues and 2) metastasis that involves only the oral soft tissues without any evidence of bone involvement. Metastatic tumors of the jaw bones are more common than metastasis to the oral soft tissues. The latter constitute about 0.1% of all malignant oral lesions.5 Metastasis to the oral soft tissues most commonly involves the gingival and alveolar mucosa, followed by the tongue and, less frequently, the tonsil, palate, lip, buccal mucosa, and floor of the mouth.6 An extensive search of the English literature on oral metastases from primary thyroid carcinoma revealed only 1 case involving the oral soft tissues.4 We report a case of primary follicular carcinoma of the thyroid that was diagnosed after diagnosis of metastatic thyroid carcinoma to the buccal mucosa and review the literature on tumors metastatic to the oral soft tissues. Report of Case