Multiple distant metastasis of tongue squamous cell carcinoma after surgical operation and radiotherapy — a case report and literature review

Abstract

This article reported a 36-year male patient with tongue squamous cell carcinoma who showed negative cervical lymphadenopathy by clinical examination but cervical lymph node metastases diagnosed by pathological examination. The patient underwent tongue tumor resection and left forearm radial skin flap repair, and then received 50 Gy 3-D conformal radiotherapy and chemotherapy combining 5-fluorouracil with carboplatin. One year after the operation, although the patient showed no tumor recurrence in primary site and no metastasis of cervical lymph nodes, metastasis occurred in several tissues including spine, ribs, mandible, skeletal muscles of upper extremity as well as lymph nodes of the mediastinum and lung hilum, which caused the patient to die quickly. According to the literature, we conclude that distant metastasis of tongue squamous cell carcinoma was less common, but once it occurs, the prognosis of the patient is extremely poor.