title: Odontoid metastasis: a potential lethal complication.
abstract: Nearly one third of cervical spine metastasis has a primary breast malignancy. Patients with cervical metastasis have higher mortality due to advanced stage of the malignancy. Treatment is palliative to relieve pain, prevent pathological fracture, improve mobility and function, and prolong survival. We describe a 40-year-old woman with a history of breast cancer who presented with neck and shoulder pain of 1 week duration with no neurological deficit. Following clinical examination, radiographs taken of the cervical spine was normal. Radiographs repeated 3 weeks later revealed a large lytic lesion of the odontoid occupying 70-80% of the peg. Further investigation including magnetic resonance imaging and bone scan showed no further spinal lesions. She underwent cyclical radiotherapy with complete resolution of the odontoid peg lesion and clinically was asymptomatic at 2 years. Metastatic lesions of the odontoid are atypical, and this case reinforces the necessity of early detection to evade disastrous consequences.
authors.affiliation: Department of Trauma and Orthopaedics, Kettering General Hospital, Kettering, NN15 7LX, UK. rayanmarakkar@yahoo.co.uk
authors.forename: Faizal
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rayan
authors.forename: Cibu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mukundan
authors.forename: D D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Shukla
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Barrington
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D018275:Carcinoma, Lobular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000556:secondary*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009809:Odontoid Process / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D013125:Spinal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000556:secondary*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed