Metastatic gallbladder cancer presenting as a gingival tumor and deep neck infection.
Gallbladder cancer has an extremely poor prognosis because it is often diagnosed at an advanced stage. We describe a 63-year-old woman who was treated 4 years previously for gallbladder cancer, with laparoscopic cholecystectomy and secondary hepatectomy after presenting with acute cholecystitis and gallbladder rupture. At her second presentation, she had a left lower gingival tumor and deep neck infection. Incision and drainage and tumor biopsies were performed, and pathology at both sites revealed adenocarcinoma. Positron emission tomography revealed other tumors in the left breast and left lower lung field, which were both proven to be adenocarcinoma by biopsy. The patient's presentation with a metastatic oral tumor was rare. Although the incidence is very low, physicians should consider the possibility of metastatic cancer in a patient with a history of cancer, who presents with new oral tumor or deep neck infection.
Department of Otolaryngology, Tzu Chi General Hospital, Hualian, Taiwan.
Yuan-Shen
YS
Chen
Yung-Hsiang
YH
Hsu
Chia-Fone
CF
Lee
Yu-Fu
YF
Chou
D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D005706:Gallbladder Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D005887:Gingival Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009333:Neck / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18