Metastatic Malignant Tumor in Jaws

Oral metastases are rare, accounting for approximately 1% of all oral malignancies, and occur more frequently in the jaws than in the soft tissues. Metastases to the jaws occur mainly in the posterior ascending rami and condyles of the mandible, which were rich in red bone marrow. Maxillary metastases are rare, accounting for 20% of all metastatic tumors in jaws. The ratio of male to female patient is almost equal, with a ratio of 1–1.1 [1–5]. The average age of patients is 45 years. The primary lesions occur usually in the breast, genitalia, thyroid, and kidney for female patients, but mainly in the lung, prostate, kidney, bone, large intestine, and adrenal gland for male patients. Diffusion through the valveless vertebral venous system is the main route of oral metastasis. Histologically, the primary focus is usually cancer, especially adenocarcinoma. Adenocarcinoma usually arises from metastasis of primary lesions in the breast in women or in the lungs, digestive tract, or prostate in men. Oral metastases are a complication of malignancy, which usually happen in the advanced stages of cancer.