A case of esophageal carcinoma metastasizing to the tongue treated with radical resection

• Published in: Journal of Japanese Society of Oral Oncology Vol. 35; no. 1; pp. 17 - 23
• Main Authors: Ueno, Yoshio, Imai, Tomoaki, Niki, Atsuko, Amino, Kayoko, Morita, Nobuo, Uzawa, Narikazu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: Japanese Society of Oral Oncology 2023
• Subjects: esophageal carcinoma; oral metastatic tumor; tongue tumor
• ISSN: 0915-5988; 1884-4995
• DOI: 10.5843/jsot.35.17

We report a case of esophageal carcinoma with oral metastasis with a review of the literature. A 68-year-old man diagnosed with esophageal carcinoma underwent radiation therapy at another hospital, went into remission, and was admitted to our department with a chief complaint of tongue discomfort. A 10-mm tumor was found in the tongue, and a systemic search revealed metastatic tongue malignancy. Partial tongue resection was performed because the growth of the tongue tumor was impairing quality of life （QOL）. There was no recurrence until he died due to a deteriorated general condition. In Japan, there have been 16 previous reports of esophageal carcinoma metastasizing to the oral cavity. In the 17 patients including this case, the time from detecting primary lesion recurrence to the onset of oral metastasis was 3.1±2.2 months （mean±SD）. Survival after oral metastasis was 5.7±4.2 months （jawbone: 6.8±4.9 months, oral soft tissue: 5.4±3.9 months）; the time to primary esophageal lesion recurrence was 4.0±2.1 months in the recurrent group and 8.8±5.8 months in the non-recurrent group. Oral metastases were mostly found in the tongue, gingiva, and jawbone. Surgical resection for tongue tumors and chemotherapy or radiation therapy for gingival and jaw tumors were the treatment policies; these were selected to improve and maintain QOL at the end of life. Moreover, even in non-recurrent cases with good control of the primary esophageal lesion, if metastatic control is poor, the survival period is as short as that of recurrent cases. Thus, it is necessary to perform radical treatment actively where possible.