Abstract
A 76-year-old man with a smoking history of 60 pack years had a poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma locally excised from his tongue in 2008 with no subsequent chemoradiation. The following year he developed a right neck lump. Previous imaging of the neck had diagnosed a calcified right carotid vessel with no suspicion of malignancy. Positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) in 2009 reported calcified lymph nodes in the right upper anterior cervical triangle, suspicious for malignancy. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) confirmed metastatic squamous cell carcinoma. A right radical neck dissection revealed metastatic squamous cell carcinoma in one of 28 lymph nodes. Calcification and heterotopic ossification with marrow formation was present in seven lymph nodes including the node involved by carcinoma. Lymph node calcification in the neck is uncommon, occurring in about 1% of enlarged nodes. It is mostly associated with past radiation therapy, old tuberculosis or healed necrotic abscesses but has occasionally been reported in the context of metastatic malignancy. The exact mechanism of heterotopic ossification in the setting of malignancy is unknown although some investigators conclude it is a result of metaplasia of fibroblasts induced by factors released by rapidly dividing cells or from osteoprogenitor stem cells lying dormant within the affected tissues.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
