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Annals of Oncology 9: 559-564, 1998. £ 1998 Khmer Academic Publishers. Primed in the Netherlands. Clinical case Mandibular pain as the leading clinical symptom for metastatic disease: Nine cases and review of the literature M. Pruckmayer,1 C. Glaser,2 C. Marosi3 & T. Leitha1 'University Clinics of Nuclear Medicine, 2Maxillofacial Surgery, 3Internal Medicine I, Division of Oncology, University Vienna. Austria Summary Background: Metastases to the jaws are a rare phenomenon. Nevertheless, the appearance of non-specific symptoms such as toothache can signal the onset of neoplastic disease in some patients. Patients: In this article, we present details of a 74-year-old patient with a history of breast cancer to illustrate this point. Retrospectively, covering a time span of one year, we could identify nine patients (1.2%) with metastatic disease to the mandible out of a total of 763 patients referred to our Maxillofacial Surgery department with non-specific jaw pain. Results: Four patients were subsequently diagnosed as having breast cancer, two had lung cancer, one prostate cancer, one renal cell carcinoma and one adenocarcinoma of unknown primary site. Only three of these patients had documented tumor spread to bones before the onset of jaw pain. In the Introduction Metastases to the jaws do not constitute a numerically large group oflesions; however, they are of great clinical significance since their appearance may be the first indication of tumor relapse or - spread [1]. As the clinical presentation of a metastatic lesion to the jaw may range from slight discomfort or pain to swelling and numb chin syndrome [2-5], these symptoms usually do not draw attention to a potential underlying malignancy at the time of the initial presentation. It is estimated that more than 30% of all metastases located in the jaws derive from breast cancer [6,1). Long term follow-up of women after potentially curative treatment of breast cancer is a well established practice. Its purpose is the detection of a second primary or distant metastatic disease and it may provide psychosocial support to some patients [8-10]. On the other hand, the influence of intense long term follow-up on the course of the disease and on quality of life as well as survival remains a matter of debate [11-14]. Recent data strongly indicate that frequent laboratory tests and extensive diagnostic procedures after primary treatment for breast cancer do not improve survival, nor do they influence health-related quality of life in asymptomatic patients [15-17]. Despite the fact that the majority of patients relapse other patients, the dental symptoms were either the first sign of a generalized neoplastic disease, or indicated relapse of disease after long term disease free interval. However, further work up disclosed generalized tumor spread with additional organ- or bone-lesions in all patients, and the median survival was only six months (range 3.5-+22) from diagnosis. Conclusion: Pain of uncertain origin in the jaws should alert clinicians to the potential of metastatic disease in patients with a history of cancer and a bone scintigraphy should be be done to rule out metastatic involvement. Although metastatic lesions in this area usually herald generalized neoplastic spread according to our experience, prompt diagnosis nevertheless can lead to useful palliation and an enhanced quality of life. Key words: bone metastasis, mandible, numb lip syndrome within a few years with the peak hazard at an interval of 1-2 years after primary treatment [18], recurrences can even occur after decades [19] with a very slow decline in riskfiveyears after surgery [18]. Breast cancer exhibits a great propensity for delayed recurrence of local disease and/or onset of metastatic spread [2] even after long term disease free survival (DFS). Therefore, the possibility of an underlying recurrence of neoplastic disease should always be considered with the appearance of nonspecific symptoms, even after a long term DFS. In nearly 30% of mandibular metastases, the metastatic lesion in the oral region is the first indication of an undiscovered malignancy at a distant site [6]. Given these facts, an accurate medical history seems to be of utmost importance in patients with jaw pain of unclear origin. We present the case of a 74-year-old woman to illustrate this point, along with our experience of patients who presented with mandibular pain at the out patients clinic of the University Clinic of Maxillofacial surgery over a period of one year. Case report A 74-year-old woman consulted her dentist with pain in her right mandible in October 1994. A panoramic X-ray was inconclusive and it was presumed that her dental c \ Figure I. Whole body bone scintigraphy with Tc 9 9 m DPD showing multiple hot spots indicative for metastatic bone disease. prosthesis might not fit well. After about three months of dental procedures including tooth extractions and unsuccessful antibiotic and analgesic therapy, she was transferred to a otolaryngologist where atypical neuralgia of the trigeminal nerve was suspected. Conservative treatment, including carbamazepine, was initiated without significant relief of symptoms. When additional swelling of the right mandibular area occured three weeks later, she was referred to the University Clinic of Maxillofacial surgery. Clinical investigation five months after the onset of symptoms disclosed third molar region pain, swelling and anaesthesia of the lower lip (NLS). In addition, lower back pain and severe discomfort of both hips and the occipital skull were present at the time of referral. A new panoramic X-ray was obtained and indicated an osteolytic defect in the right mandible. A careful history revealed the patient's past treatment for breast cancer. A right radical mastectomy had been performed eight years previously for an invasive ductal carcinoma (pT2, pNO, MO, G2). The presence of estrogen and progesterone receptors had not been determined. Because of the radical surgery and relatively early tumor stage, no adjuvant therapy was administered. Intensive follow-up by means of chest X-ray, bone scan and abdominal sonography was discontinued by the patient after a period of two years without any evidence of recurrence. After finding the lytic lesion in the right mandible, whole body scintigraphy was performed. It indicated multiple sites of increased bone metabolism over the whole skeleton including a hot spot over the right mandibular ramus (Figures 1 and 2). A bone marrow scan with 99mTc-labeled murine monoclonal 19-G1 antibody (Granuloscint*, Behring Werke G) showed decreased Figure 2. 3D reconstruction of a Tc 9 9 m DPD SPECT of the skull showing an impressive side difference in volume of the mandibles. tracer uptake indicating bone marrow replacement suggestive of malignancy. A biopsy of the lesion in the right mandible confirmed the diagnosis of a breast cancer metastasis with positive estrogen and progesterone receptors. After establishing the histologic diagnosis, a complete staging work-up including chest X-ray and abdominal CT-scan was initiated. In addition to the multifocal bone metastases, X-ray also revealed multiple pulmonary lesions. Chemotherapy with vinorelbine, 1-leucovorin (L-LV) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) was started, along with 20 mg/d of tamoxifen. The patient was administered 40 mg/m2 vinorelbine (days 1 and 21), 100 mg/m2 L-LV and 370 mg/m2 5-FU (days 1 to 5), respectively. In order to reduce myelotoxicity, G-CSF was given subcutaneously for five days after chemotherapy. A marked reduction of pain was achieved after the first cycle of 561 treatment. The patient received a total of five courses resulting in disease stabilization as judged by radiologic imaging according to WHO standard criteria. Prolonged hematologic toxicity with neutropenia despite prophylactic G-CSF application lead to discontinuation of chemotherapy, while tamoxifen-treatment was continued. The patient showed no evidence of progression for 7.5 months after discontinuation of cytotoxic treatment. Upon progression of the bone scan without change of the pulmonary metastases, second line hormonal treatment with anastrozole was initiated. Despite this change, further progression of osseous as well as the pulmonary lesions occured. The patient was put on oral chemotherapy consisting of idarubicin and cyclophosphamide and received four consecutive cycles. At the time of this report, the patient is alive 22 months after establishing the diagnosis of recurrence of her breast cancer. Experience in 763 patients with jaw pain Triggered by this experience, we performed a retrospective review of our files including all patients who had been referred to our department of Maxillofacial Surgery for jaw pain during a one year period. Our search disclosed a total of 763 patients. Out of these cases, nine patients (1.2%) with metastatic bone disease to the mandible were identified. Four patients were subsequently diagnosed with breast cancer, two with lung cancer, one with prostate, one renal cell cancer and one with adenocarcinoma of unknown origin (Table 1). The median time span between the onset of symptoms and final diagnosis was 14 weeks (range 3-27). Five of the 763 patients had a history of cancer; yet, investigations showed no metastatic disease underlying the non-specific jaw pain. Of the nine patients with metastatic lesions in our series, three (two with breast cancer, one with lung cancer) showed a similiar course of disease as the case described above. The mandibular metastases in these patients were the first indication of recurrent disease after a long term DFS. In one patient with a history of breast cancer, the DFS had lasted more than 15 years. Three patients had no history of cancer before bone scintigraphy indicated systemic neoplastic disease. Biopsy of the mandibular lesion revealed metastasis of breast cancer, lung cancer and renal cell cancer, respectively. Only three patients had an already established diagnosis of cancer and they developed metastases to the mandible during ongoing treatment (Table 1). Further investigations disclosed the presence of generalized neoplastic disease in all nine cases. Two patients had additional soft tissue lesions including lung and liver metastases, while the rest had multiple bone metastases. Only two of the nine patients had a radiolucent defect on conventional X-ray, while all nine subjects showed increased focal tracer accumulation in 99mTc diphosphonate bone scintigraphy. As bone scanning provides imaging of the whole skeletal system, it does not only detect the symptomatic metastatic lesion, but also asymptomatic sites. Thus, bone scintigraphy indicates generalized disease prior to its clinical manifestation. In our series, all nine patients showed multiple hot spots in addition to the mandibular site, indicative of generalized disease. Despite palliative treatment administered in all patients, only two patients with breast cancer, including the case presented above, are still alive at the time of this analysis. The median survival duration in our patients from diagnosis of generalized neoplastic disease was six months (range 3.5-+22 months). Review of the literature A computerized literature search (MEDLINE V. 3.1 fl) of the English-language literature identified 43 papers on the subject of mandibular metastases published between 1966 and 1997. While reviews including cases of mandibular metastases were published in 1988 and 1990 [7, 20, 21], the large majority of papers are single case reports (Table 2). Consistent with our data, breast cancer constituted the largest group of patients described, but also prostate, lung, renal cell, transitional cell cancers, colon cancers, sarcomas, melanomas, neuroblastomas, and many more have also been reported to metastasize to the mandible (Table 2). Most authors report a male to female ratio of approximately 2 : 3 [22, 23], with a peak incidence between the fourth and seventh decade of life. In our series, the male to female ratio was 1:2, with a median age of 66 years (range 38-89). The most common locations for metastases to the mandible are the molar and premolar region due to a predominance of red bone marrow in this area [24, 25]. Mandibular metastases are the first symptom of generalized malignant disease in approximately 30% of cases [6]. Table I. Nine patients diagnosed with mandibular metastasis. Discussion No. of patients Mandibular metastases are definitely rare [1, 6]. An extensive review of the literature revealed only scarce data on primary cancers metastasizing to the jaws (Table 2). According to the literature [4] the combined appearence of tooth ache, lip anaesthesia and buccal swelling is highly suggestive for an underlying malignant process. Thus, the presence of these symptoms should alert clinicians to the possibility of neoplastic disease. In particular, 4 2 1 1 1 Breast cancer Lung cancer Prostate cancer Renal cell Unknown primary Actual cancer history Past cancer history cancer history 1 2 1 1 1 No. 1 1 1 562 Table 2. Review of the literature 1966-1997. Authors No. Primary tumor site of cases Ohba 1975 [38] Samit 1978 [39] Draper 1979 [40] Kaugars 1981 [41] Cialo 1981 [42] Bucin 1982 [43] 1 Osguthorpe 1982 [44] HofTken 1982 [45] Myall 1983 [46] Gorsky 1983 [47] Shankar 1984 [48] Boraz 1985 [49] Horie 1985 [50] Curtin 1985 [51] Maharaj 1986 [52] Florine 1988 [53] Weithman 1988 [54] Abemayor 1988 [55] Nardi 1988 [56] Naylor 1989 [5] Baumgartner 1989 [57] Aniceto 1990 [7] <? Anderson 1990 [21] Boyzuk 1991 [58] Lu 1991 [59] Marker 1991 [60] Franklin 1992 [61] Doval 1992 [62] Haddad 1992 [63] Mohandas 1993 [64] Choukasl993[65] O Carroll 1993 [66] Doval 1994 [67] Bell 1995 [68] Babu 1996 [69] Pruckmayer 1996 [3] Plath 1996 [70] I I I Osteogenic sarcoma Melanoma Follicular thyroid carcinoma Lung cancer Prostate cancer Renal cell cancer, breast cancer, melanoma Follicular thyroid carcinoma Breast cancer Melanoma Chordoma Breast cancer Neuroblastoma Hepatocellular carcinoma Adenocarcinoma of the fallopian tube Prostate cancer Clear cell sarcoma Transitionsal cell carcinoma Cystosarcoma phyllodes of the breast Angiosarcoma Colon cancer Prostate cancer Breast cancer, melanoma, prostate cancer, unknown primary, renal cell cancer Esophageal adenocarcinoma Breast cancer Breast cancer Hepatocellular cancer Male breast cancer Hepatocellular carcinoma Neuroblastoma Gastric cancer Male breast cancer Adenocarcinoma of the kidney Transitional cell cancer Melanoma Colon cancer Prostate cancer Oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma these metastatic lesions are the first indication of an undiscovered malignancy at a distant site in roughly 30% of cases [6]. Mandibular metastases usually indicate generalized disease necessitating histological verification and staging. In 30% of patients, the underlying malignancy will be defined as breast cancer [1,6], while other tumor types constitute the minority. Breast cancer continues to be the most common cancer in women in most industrialized countries [26]. Most women are diagnosed at an early stage, when potentially curative treatment strategies are possible; however, 20% to 85% of these patients will develop distant metastases within five years of their initial diagnosis [27]. In the adjuvant setting, the heterogeneous behavior of breast cancer necessitates an individually tailored strategy for every patient according to established risk factors [28]. The goals of adjuvant therapy for patients with breast cancer are prevention of recurrence and in the long run prolongation of survival [28, 29]. In addition to adjuvant therapy, intensive follow up after primary treatment is thought to provide the potential for early detection of recurrence and may provide extra emotional support [30]. However, recent data question the usefulness of intensive follow up strategies in terms of overall survival [11-13, 15, 31, 32]. Nevertheless, these reports should not provoke diagnostic nihilism in symptomatic patients. In the absence of curative therapies in case of recurrence, the improvement of quality of life is the most important treatment objective [29]. In the case we have presented, physical and emotional help was achieved, albeit after some months of futile attempts of pain management. To our knowledge, our analysis of 763 patients with jaw pain identifying nine patients with metastases is one of the largest series published. In accordance with the literature, we found a predominance of breast cancer. Lung cancer, prostate cancer, renal cancer and adenocarcinoma of unknown primary site were also documented in our patients. As highlighted in our case report, a long time span between initial symptoms of jaw pain and diagnosis of malignancy is common. Consequently, patients usually undergo non-specific treatment for an unnecessary period, leading to an impaired quality of life. While cost effectiveness has become more and more crucial in health management, and especially the common practice of intensive follow-up in cancer patients has been questioned over the past years [33, 34], a failure to consider the diagnosis and undertake appropriate investigations postponed the diagnosis and specific therapy in our patients for a median time of 14 weeks. In addition, our data suggest that the presence of mandibular metastases are almost always associated with generalized neoplastic disease. This fact is emphasised by the short median overall survival of six months from diagnosis in our patients. While such patients are clearly beyond the scope of curative management, symptomatic relief could be achieved in our patients after diagnosis of cancer. Thus, the prompt identification of such individuals offers the potential for major gains in quality of life, and probably survival. Despite the widespread availability of conventional X-ray, radiologic signs are hardly ever diagnostic due to the absence of pathognomic features of mandibular metastases. While radiolucency is the most common feature, only two of the nine patients showed a defect on conventional X-ray in our series. Bone scintigraphy usually shows an increased tracer uptake in the affected area, resulting in a higher sensitivity than conventional radiography [35-37]. In addition, whole body bone scintigraphy can detect widespread disease. 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Pathologic fracture of the mandible caused by intraosseous metastasis of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma: A case report. Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg 1996; 25: 282-4. Received 26 November 1997; accepted 12 January 1998. Correspondence to: Martha Pruckmayer, MD University Clinic of Nuclear Medicine General Hospital Vienna Leitstelle 3L Waehringer Guertel 18-20 A-1090 Vienna Austria