Lung Adenocarcinoma with Gingival Metastasis

• Main Authors: Imen Gargouri, Benzarti Wafa Hergli, Sana Aissa, Samia Kanoun-Belajouza, Abdelaziz Hayouni, Abdelhamid Garrouche, Ahmed Abdelghani, Mohamed Benzarti
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: SMC MEDIA SRL 2018-06-01
• Series: European Journal of Case Reports in Internal Medicine
• Subjects: Lung adenocarcinoma; gingival metastasis
• Online Access: https://www.ejcrim.com/index.php/EJCRIM/article/view/861

Gingival metastasis of lung cancer is uncommon. We report the case of an 82-year-old male smoker admitted to the pulmonology department with right pleural effusion. A chest computed tomography (CT) scan showed an invasive right hilar tumour, adherent to the superior vena cava, pulmonary artery, main right bronchus, mediastinal pleura and pericardium with lymphangitic carcinomatosis of the right lung. Pleural biopsy revealed pleural metastasis of pulmonary adenocarcinoma, its primary lung origin being confirmed by immunohistochemistry. One month later, the patient developed an ulcerated polypoid gingival mass. Biopsy of this lesion showed a poorly differentiated carcinoma compatible with metastasis from the lung adenocarcinoma. The patient underwent irradiation of the gingival mass at a dose of 30 Gray, but his condition worsened rapidly and he was not fit for chemotherapy. He received palliative treatment and died 2 months after diagnosis of his metastatic lung cancer.