Abstract
Following breast and lung cancers, renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the third most frequent cancer to metastasize to the head and neck region, though such cases are rarely reported. Distinguishing between malignant tumors of salivary gland origin and metastatic RCC is very important. The case of a 75-year-old man with an oral cavity lesion in the left buccal submucosa measuring 40×30 mm that had grown substantially over several weeks is presented. His medical history included left kidney cancer 26 years earlier and a malignant myoepithelioma of the left buccal region 7 years earlier. It was suspected that this lesion was a recurrent malignant myoepithelioma as it appeared at the same site as the previous operation. Surgery was performed, and metastatic RCC was confirmed upon pathological examination. The diagnosis of metastatic RCC was made by immunohistochemical examination, which also excluded malignant myoepithelioma and other clear cell carcinomas of salivary gland origin. Metastatic RCC must be considered in the differential diagnosis of a new oral cavity lesion presenting in a patient with a past history of kidney cancer. Thus, immunohistochemical staining is required to distinguish malignancies of salivary gland origin, including malignant myoepithelioma, from metastatic RCC.
Highlights
The oral cavity is an extremely rare site for metastases, since metastases account for approximately 1% of all malignant tumors in the oral cavity
Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining was performed at Metastases to the oral cavity are extremely rare, and they likely occur through the arterial, venous, and lymphatic circulations
In the head and neck region, it has been reported that renal cell carcinoma (RCC) metastasizes to the nose, tongue, paranasal sinuses, parotid glands, larynx, mandible, temporal bone, and thyroid gland [3,5]
Summary
A case of RCC metastasis to the oral cavity that initially presented with a left buccal submucosal swelling is presented. In this patient, a malignant myoepithelioma was removed surgically from buccal submucosa at the same site in another hospital eleven years earlier. His past history included left kidney cancer treated 26 years earlier and a malignant myoepithelioma that was removed surgically from the buccal region at the same site at another hospital eleven years earlier. He had facial asymmetry, with diffuse swelling of the left side of the cheek.
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