Metástasis de adenocarcinoma de colon a mucosa oral. Presentación de un caso con énfasis en la histopatología.

Abstract

Metastasis is the seeding of malignant tumor cells in a different place than the primary tumor. Metastatic lesions to the oral cavity are uncommon and represent 1% of all malignant neoplasms affecting his region. The diagnosis of metastatic lesions is challenging because they can show non-aggressive clinical findings mimicking benign lesions, which are more common in the oral mucosa. Colon adenocarcinoma is the most common type of gastrointestinal tract cancer and metastasis generally occurs to regional lymphnodes, liver, peritoneum, lungs or ovaries, but it is uncommon in supraclavicular regions; cases of metastasis from colon adenocarcinoma to the oral cavity have been reported. We report a case of a female diagnosed with colon adenocarcinoma who underwent clinical examination because of the presence of an oral mucosal lesion. After a systematic histological analysis, it was diagnosed as an adenocarcinoma moderately differentiated compatible with metastatic lesion. The purpose of reporting this case is establishing the importance of the histopathological differential diagnosis between primary tumor and metastatic lesions in the oral cavity. In addition, it was also aimed to highlight the important role of the pathological background in the clinical history and to guide the dentist in the management of lesions. As a result, the dentist can perform an early diagnosis at the right time and can provide to the patient the best options for treatment.