Unilateral face swelling as first manifestation of metastatic pancreatic cancer: case report and review of the literature.
OBJECTIVE
Metastasis to the jaw is a rare finding in pancreatic cancer; only five cases of tumor spread to the oral region have been described.


METHODS
We report on a previously healthy 54-year-old man who attended the hospital in 2006 because of a mandibular mass. Histology was positive for adenocarcinoma and computed tomography led to the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Chemoradiotherapy was started but had to be stopped early because of intraoral bleeding from the metastasis. The patient subsequently received palliative chemotherapy. The primary cancer was stabilized but the mandibular mass progressed despite cytostatic therapy. Despite best supportive measures the patient died nine months after presentation.


CONCLUSIONS
In making the decision on whether metastasectomy should be performed in an uncommon site of metastatic spread such as the mandibula, both the possibility of cure and also the potentially decreased response to conservative therapy and the patient's decreased quality of life have to be considered.
Vormittag
Laurenz
L
Department of Internal Medicine I and Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Erovic
Boban
B
Schopper
Christian
C
Zielinski
Christoph C
CC
Kornek
Gabriela
G
Thurnher
Dietmar
D
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000209:etiology* / Q000556:secondary* / Q000628:therapy; D004487:Edema / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D005145:Face; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008339:Mandibular Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000556:secondary* / Q000628:therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy*