Open Access
CC BY 4.0 · Avicenna J Med 2024; 14(01): 022-038
DOI: 10.1055/s-0044-1779674
Review Article

Oral Soft Tissue Metastasis from Breast Cancer as the Only Primary Source: Systematic Review

Nausheen Aga
1   School of Dentistry, University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom
,
Ruchira Shreevats
2   Department of Orthodontics, Primadent Dental Centre, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
,
3   Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology and Forensic Odontology, Yamuna Institute of Dental Sciences & Research, Gadholi, Yamunanagar, Haryana, India
,
Harman Sandhu
4   General Dentistry, Building Smiles Dental Clinic, Mohali, Punjab, India
,
Muna E.M. Hassan
5   Department of Preventive and Restorative Dentistry, University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
,
Harnisha V. Prajapati
6   General Dentistry, Bhavya Dental Clinic and Implant Centre, Palanpur, Gujarat, India
› Institutsangaben

Funding None.
 

Abstract

Background Breast cancer is one of the most lethal neoplasms causing death. Oral cavity is the rare site of distant metastasis from breast cancer. Very little research has been conducted to date to analyze breast cancer as the sole primary source of metastasis to the oral soft tissues. The goal of this study was to examine the published cases of oral soft tissue metastasis from breast cancer as the only primary source to date.

Methods An electronic search of the published literature was performed without publication year limitation in PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Science Direct, Embase, and Research Gate databases, using mesh keywords like (“Breast cancer”, OR “Breast carcinoma”) AND (“Metastasis” OR “Metastases”), And (“Oral soft tissues” OR “Tongue” OR “Palate” OR “Tonsil” OR “Buccal mucosa” OR “Floor of mouth” OR “Vestibule” OR “Salivary glands”). We also searched all related journals manually. The reference list of all articles was also checked.

Results Our research revealed 88 relevant papers (September 1967–September 2023) with 96 patients in total. The most predominant oral soft tissues involved were salivary glands followed by the gingiva, tonsils, tongue, and buccal mucosa. A total of 23% of patients died with an average survival time of 1 to 15 months.

Conclusions Oral soft tissue metastasis from breast cancer is a rare event and has a bad prognosis. More cases need to be published to raise awareness of these lesions.


Introduction

Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most lethal neoplasms causing death. Worldwide, approximately 2.3 million new cases of BC and 684,996 deaths due to this malignancy were recorded in 2022 according to GLOBACON databases[1] and metastasis is the prime cause of death. The rate of metastasis even in uncommon sites is on the rise. On the other side, it has been observed that the overall survival of BC patients has been prolonged owing to the more effective therapy and the development of new imaging techniques and early detection. The most common organs involved in distant metastasis of BC are bones, lungs, liver, and brain.[2] The oral cavity is the rarest site of metastasis, and it can involve both osseous and soft tissues. Lung cancer is the most common cancer metastasizing to the oral soft tissues (OST), whereas BC is the most common source of metastasis to the jawbones (JB).[3] The prognosis of metastatic lesions in the oral cavity is unfavorable because of their late detection owing to the resemblance of benign growths. Literature has reported several studies analyzing metastatic tumors in the oral region.[3] [4] But very little research has been conducted to date to analyze BC as the sole primary source of metastasis to the OST. The goal of this study was to examine the published cases of oral soft tissue metastasis (OSTM) from BC as the only primary source to date.


Materials and Methods

The current research was performed following the guidelines of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. Owing to nature of the current review, any ethical approval was not required.

Focused Question

To conduct the study, CoCoPop (context, condition, population) framework, designed by Joanna Briggs Institute, was used focusing on the research question “How many cases of BC metastasizing to OST have been documented in the literature to date, and what is the prognosis of these metastatic lesions”?

  • Pop (population): patients with BC.

  • Co (condition): salivary gland metastasis.

  • Co (context): characteristics of these patients.


Search Strategy for Identification of Studies

An electronic search of the published literature was performed without publication year limitation in PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Science direct, Embase, and Research Gate databases, using mesh keywords like (“Breast cancer”, OR “Breast carcinoma”) AND (“Metastasis” OR “Metastases”), And (“Oral soft tissues” OR “Tongue” OR “Palate” OR “Tonsil” OR “Buccal mucosa” OR “Floor of mouth” OR “Vestibule” OR “Salivary glands”). We also searched all related journals manually. The reference list of all articles was also checked ([Fig. 1]).

Zoom
Fig. 1 PRISMA flowchart showing search strategy. PRISMA, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.

Screening of Studies

The current review involved three steps of screening the studies. In the first step, titles were reviewed by two authors (N.A., R.V.) independently and duplicates were removed. Then the other two authors (S.G., H.S.) reviewed the selected abstracts of all the reports independently. The reviewers were calibrated on the basis of their assessment of their titles and abstracts of the first 50 references retrieved. The kappa value of agreement between reviewers was 0.84. If the title/abstracts met the eligibility rule, they were included in the study. In the final stage, the text of selected studies was screened by remaining two authors (M.E.M.H., H.V.P.) separately. The full report was collected, discussed, and resolved for cases among all authors that appeared to fit the inclusion criteria or for which evidence was insufficient to make a clear determination.


Inclusion Criteria

  • Confirmed cases of OSTM from BC as the sole primary source. The papers included were from September 1967 to September 2023.

  • Type of studies: case reports, case series, retrospective analysis, and original research.

  • Cases were selected beyond the restriction of limitations on parameters such as age, gender, ethnicity socioeconomic status, etc.

  • Articles published in any language were included.


Exclusion Criteria

  • Cases with no definite diagnosis of OSTM from BC as the sole primary source.

  • Publications reporting the OSTM from any site other than breast.

  • Cases with BC metastasis to JB and paranasal sinuses were not included.

  • Studies that didn't provide individual patient data were excluded.

  • Review articles, editorials, conference abstracts, hypothesis papers, web news, media reports, and animal studies.


Outcome Measures

  • Primary outcome measures: to evaluate the number of cases of OSTM from BC as the sole primary source reported in the literature and to determine their prognosis.

  • Secondary outcome measures: to evaluate other factors such as worldwide distribution of cases of OSTM from BC, patient's demographic details, the predominant site of OSTM, clinical features of these metastatic lesions, most prevalent type of metastatic BC, immunoprofile, type of therapies used, and the prognosis of these patients.


Risk of Bias Assessment

Most of the studies included in this review were case reports and case series. The risk of bias was appraised following CARE and Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology checklists.[5] [6] In several papers, there was missing information regarding many parameters used for data extraction. We tried reaching the authors of those cases to clarify this bias; however, we were unable to recover the missing information.


Data Extraction and Analysis

After study selection, screening and a thorough examination, the data were extracted. The information gathered was cross-checked and tabulated into three tables ([Tables 1] [2] [3] [4]). In case of missing data, 6 weeks' time was given to gather the information. If the information was still missing, we then indicated the missing data as “not available” in the text and in the tables. The results were expressed in descriptive statistics. The overall survival rate was calculated by survival analysis with Kaplan–Meier curves.

Table 1

Details of publications reporting cases of breast cancer metastasizing to oral soft tissues (September 1967–September 2023)[7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] [40] [41] [42] [43] [44] [45] [46] [47] [48] [49] [50] [51] [52] [53] [54] [55] [56] [57] [58] [59] [60] [61] [62] [63] [64] [65] [66] [67] [68] [69] [70] [71] [72] [73] [74] [75] [76] [77] [78] [79] [80] [81] [82] [83] [84] [85] [86] [87] [88] [89] [90] [91] [92] [93] [94]

S. no.

Authors

Year

Country

Type of study

Total no. of patients

1.

Meher-Homji et al

1967

India

CR

1

2.

Perlmutter et al

1974

Israel

CR

1

3.

Solomon et al

1975

United States

CR

1

4.

Barton et al

1980

Durham

CR

1

5.

Meyers and Olshok

1981

United States

CR

1

6.

Wiesel et al

1982

Israel

CR

3

7.

Eckardt and Nommels

1986

Germany

CR

1

8.

Epstein et al

1987

Canada

CR

1

9.

Rosti et al

1987

UK

CR

1

10.

Cooney et al

1988

United States

CR

1

11.

Bissett et al

1989

UK

CR

2

12.

Needleman and Salah

1992

Australia

CR

1

13.

Win et al

1992

Japan

CR

1

14.

Calvo Boizas et al

1995

Spain

CR

1

15.

Vessecchia et al

1995

Italy

CR

1

16.

Bochnia et al

1997

Poland

CR

1

17.

Kollias and Gill

1997

UK

OR

3

18.

Rajesh et al

1998

India

CR

1

19.

Tueche et al

1999

Belgium

CR

1

20.

Joycee et al

2000

Ireland

CR

1

21.

Nicol and Iskandar

2000

United States

CR

1

22.

Cain et al

2001

UK

OR

1

23.

Scipio et al

2001

West Indies

CR

1

24.

Szymanski et al

2002

Poland

CR

2

25.

Zhang and Gu

2003

United States

CR

1

26.

Adelson et al

2005

United States

CR

1

27.

Chatterjee et al

2006

UK

CR

1

28.

Malhotra et al

2006

India

CR

1

29.

Masmoudi et al

2006

Tunisia

CR

1

30.

Nuyens et al

2006

UK

RA

2

31.

Perez-Fidalgo et al

2007

Spain

CR

1

32.

Neelakantan et al

2008

UK

CR

1

33.

Billan et al

2009

Israel

CR

1

34.

Dangore-Khasbage et al

2009

India

CR

1

35.

Laforga and Gasent

2009

Spain

CR

1

36.

Shah and Mehta

2009

India

CR

1

37.

Ramesh et al

2010

India

CR

1

38.

Bar et al

2011

Israel

CR

1

39.

Cihan et al

2011

Turkey

CR

1

40.

Erra and Costamagna

2011

Italy

CR

1

41.

Sellinger et al

2011

Germany

CR

1

42.

Al-Benna and Tzakas

2012

UK

CR

1

43.

Kechagias et al

2012

Greece

CR

1

44.

Maruzzo et al

2012

Italy

CR

1

45.

Jain et al

2013

India

CR

1

46.

Addeo et al

2014

Italy

CR

1

47.

Alath et al

2014

Kuwait

RA

1

48.

Sano et al

2014

Japan

CR

1

49.

Vivas et al

2014

Brazil

CS

1

50.

Akcan et al

2015

Turkey

CR

1

51.

Dievel et al

2015

Belgium

CR

1

52.

Duncan et al

2015

UK

CR

1

53.

Murhekar et al

2015

India

CR

1

54.

Khuranna et al

2016

India

CR

1

55.

Kmeid et al

2016

Lebanon

CR

1

56.

Srinivasan

2016

United States

CR

1

57.

El M'rabet et al

2017

Africa

CR

1

58.

Franzan et al

2017

Germany

RA

1

59.

Rewat et al

2017

UK

CR

1

60.

Sera et al

2017

Japan

CR

1

61.

Yoshiba et al

2017

Japan

CR

1

62.

Bohli et al

2018

Tunisia

CR

1

63.

Cao et al

2018

China

CR

1

64.

Aggarwal et al

2019

India

CR

1

65.

Assarian et al

2019

India

CR

1

66.

Cengiz et al

2019

Turkey

CR

2

67.

de Almeida Freire et al

2019

Brazil

CR

1

68.

Jakharia-Shah et al

2019

UK

CR

1

69.

Thakur et al

2019

India

CR

1

70.

Abdalla et al

2020

UK

CR

1

71.

Andinata et al

2020

Indonesia

CR

1

72.

Dhia et al

2020

Tunisia

CR

1

73.

Medayil

2020

India

CR

1

74.

Ndiaye et al

2020

Senegal

CR

1

75.

Nwabuoku et al

2020

Nigeria

CR

1

76.

Razmara et al

2020

Iran

CR

1

77.

Swain et al

2020

India

CR

1

78.

Jung et al

2021

South Korea

CR

1

79.

Murgia et al

2021

Italy

CR

1

80.

Nikolova et al

2021

Cyprus

CR

1

81.

Waruola et al

2021

Nigeria

CR

1

82.

Menezes et al

2022

Brazil

CR

1

83.

Miyazaki et al

2022

Japan

CR

1

84.

Sadasivan et al

2022

India

CR

1

85.

Almeida et al

2023

Portugal

CR

1

86.

Gholami et al

2023

Iran

CR

1

87.

Mansikka et al

2023

Finland

CR

1

88.

Peron et al

2023

Brazil

CR

1

Abbreviations: CR, case report; CS, case series; OR, original research; RA, retrospective analysis.


Table 2

Clinical data of patients with breast cancer metastasizing to oral soft tissues (September 1967–September 2023)

Patient no.

Sex

Age

(y)

PHOBC

OST involved (site)

Clinical features

OST as initial site of metastasis

Time of diagnosis of metastasis

Any other site of metastasis

Final diagnosis of metastatic BC

Side of BC

1.

NA

NA

NA

T (Ant)

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

2.

NA

NA

NA

G (SNA)

Pedunculated mass

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

3.

F

NA

NA

SMG (NA)

Swelling

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

4.

F

33

Y

To (L)

NA

N

11 mo

NA

IDC

R

5.

NA

NA

Y

SMG (NA)

Swelling

N

19 mo

NA

NA

NA

6.

F

62

N

P (L)

Swelling

Y

NA

ILC

L

7.

F

61

N

P (L)

Swelling

Y

NA

IDC

L

8.

F

74

N

P (L)

FNP

Y

NA

NA

L

9.

F

68

Y

SMG (NA)

Swelling

N

4 y

NA

NA

NA

10.

F

38

Y

G (Max, R, Ant)

Ulcerative mass

NA

NA

N

IDC

R

11.

NA

NA

Y

G (SNA)

Swelling

N

NA

NA

AS

NA

12.

NA

NA

Y

NA

NA

N

NA

NA

CP

NA

13.

F

41

Y

P (L)

FNP

N

10 y

NA

IDC

R

14.

F

65

Y

P (L)

Swelling

N

NA

NA

IDC

R

15.

NA

NA

N

G (SNA)

Epulis-like growth

Y

NA

NA

CP

NA

16.

NA

NA

NA

G (Max)

Ulcerative mass

NA

NA

NA

AS

NA

17.

F

57

NA

P (L)

Pain

NA

NA

NA

IDC

R

18.

NA

NA

Y

SMG (NA)

Soft painless swelling

N

24 y

NA

IDC

NA

19.

F

42

N

P (BL)

Painless, elastic swelling

Y

N

IDC

L

20.

F

52

N

P (R)

Mass

Y

N

IDC

R

21.

F

57

N

P (L)

Mass

Y

N

IDC

L

22.

NA

NA

N

P (R)

Mass

Y

NA

NA

NA

23.

F

40

Y

G (Max, L, Ant)

Swelling

N

NA

NA

IDC

NA

24.

F

71

Y

To (L)

Swelling

N

24 y

N

IDC

NA

25.

NA

71

NA

P (R)

FNP

NA

NA

IDC

R

26.

F

54

Y

FOM

Tumor growth

N

12 y

N

ILC

L

27.

NA

NA

NA

SMG (L)

Painless mass

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

28.

NA

NA

Y

G, (Mand, L, Post)

Pedunculated mass

N

1 y

N

IDC

NA

29.

F

66

Y

P (L)

FNP

N

15 y

NA

IDC

R

30.

F

58

N

P (R)

Swelling

Y

NA

IDC

R

31.

F

40

Y

P (R)

Mass

N

NA

NA

MPT

L

32.

F

48

Y

Vestibule (R)

Painful mass

N

24 y

LN

IDC

L

33.

F

44

Y

Multiple sites

Hypoesthesia, tender lymph nodes

N

7 y

N

IDC

NA

34.

F

33

Y

G (Max)

Exophytic growth

N

2 y

Lung

IDC

R

35.

F

44

Y

G (BL)

Exophytic, erythematous mass

N

2 y

Skin

PS

NA

36.

F

NA

NA

P (NA)

Swelling

NA

NA

IDC

NA

37.

F

NA

NA

P (NA)

Swelling

NA

NA

IDC

NA

38.

F

61

Y

P (L)

Swelling

N

5 y

NA

IDC

L

39.

F

52

Y

P (L)

Swelling

N

2 y

NA

IDC

L

40.

F

24

Y

T (L, border)

Ulcerative lesion

N

10 mo

Lung

IDC

R

41.

F

53

Y

T (R Base)

Lump

N

3 mo

N

TN

L

42.

F

42

Y

P (L)

Swelling

N

1 y

N

IDC

R

43.

F

25

Y

G (Max, Ant)

Swelling

N

1 y

N

IDC

L

44.

F

53

N

P (R)

Swelling

Y

N

UD

R

45.

F

54

Y

To (L)

Necrotic mass

N

1 y

MM

HS

R

46.

F

65

Y

P (L)

Swelling

N

11 mo

NA

ILC

L

47.

F

50

Y

SMG (R)

NA

N

9 y

NA

IDC

R

48.

F

74

Y

P (R)

FNP

N

4 y

Bone

ILC

L

49.

F

52

Y

Submental region

Swelling

N

3 y

MM

IDC

NA

50.

F

52

NA

BM (L)

Nodule

NA

NA

NA

IDC

NA

51.

F

74

Y

To (R)

Tender mass

N

23 y

Cervical LN

IDC

L

52.

F

30

Y

BM (R)

Swelling

N

1 y

Axilla

IDC

L

53.

F

81

Y

T (L)

Nodule

N

6 y

Axilla

IDC

L

54.

F

43

N

P (L)

NA

Y

Bone, Liver

IDC

L

55.

F

54

Y

To (BL)

Pain

N

3 y

N

MPT

R

56.

F

53

Y

RM (L)

Swelling

N

20 d

MM

SM

L

57.

F

61

N

P (R)

Swelling

Y

MM

IDC

R

58.

F

89

Y

T (R)

Swelling

N

4 y

Lung, liver

IDC

R

59.

F

76

Y

P (R)

NA

N

25 y

N

IDC

R

60.

F

60

Y

P (R)

Hard swelling

N

7 y

N

IDC, mucinous

R

61.

F

61

Y

P (R)

Swelling

N

1 y

N

IDC

R

62.

F

65

Y

P (R)

Swelling

N

6 y

NA

IDC

R

63.

F

48

N

P(R)

Swelling

Y

N

IDC

R

64.

F

43

N

P (L)

Painless swelling

Y

N

IDC

R

65.

F

NA

Y

P (NA)

NA

N

11 mo

NA

IDC

R

66.

F

71

Y

P (L)

Painful mass

N

26 y

N

IDC

R

67.

F

57

Y

To (L)

Painful mass

N

7 mo

Lung

MPT

L

68.

F

60

NA

G (Mand, L, Post)

Hard elastic mass

NA

NA

Lung, spine

MPT

L

69.

F

48

Y

P (R)

Swelling

N

11 y

N

IDC

L

70.

F

36

Y

P (R)

FNP

N

11 mo

MM

IDC

R

71.

F

60

Y

P (R)

Swelling

N

9 mo

N

IDC

R

72.

F

54

Y

P (R)

Swelling, FNP

N

11 mo

MM

IDC

R

73.

F

54

N

P (L)

Swelling

Y

Bone

IDC

L

74.

F

60

Y

To (L)

Swelling

N

2 y

N

IDC

R

75.

M

88

Y

RM (L)

Pedunculated mass

N

12 y

N

IDC

NA

76.

F

59

Y

P (L)

Swelling

N

8 y

N

IDC

R

77.

F

55

Y

P (L)

Swelling, Bell's palsy

N

11 mo

N

IDC

L

78.

F

60

Y

P (R)

Lump

N

20 y

Vertebrae

IDC

L

79.

F

39

Y

P (L)

Lump

N

3.5 y

Bone

IDC

L

80.

F

50

Y

P (BL)

Swelling

N

9 y

MM

IDC

L

81.

F

49

Y

T (Base)

Exophytic, ulcerative mass

N

I y

N

IDC

R

82.

F

43

Y

G (Mand, R, Ant)

Ulcerative mass

N

2 y

N

IDC

R

83.

F

52

Y

P (L)

Lump

N

1 Wk.

N

IDC

R

84.

F

68

Y

G (Mand, R, Ant)

Ulcerated, exophytic, erythematous mass

N

8 y

Brain

IDC

NA

85.

F

29

Y

BM (L)

Swelling

N

2 mo

N

IDC

L

86.

F

59

Y

P (L)

Swelling

N

6 y

MM

IDC

L

87.

F

77

Y

G (Mand, R, Post)

Round sessile nodule

N

5 y

N

IDC

L

88.

F

44

Y

Multiple sites

Exophytic, erythematous

N

2 y

MM

TN

L

89.

F

42

Y

BM (R) extending to Palate (L)

Fungating mass

N

6 mo

Skull, neck

IDC

L

90.

F

68

Y

G (Max, R, Post)

Pain, erythematous swelling

N

6 mo

MM

IDC

NA

91.

F

66

Y

BM (R)

Hard mobile mass

N

1 mo

MM

IDC

L

92.

F

37

Y

G (Max, L, Ant)

Erythematous mass

N

9 mo

MM

IDC

L

93.

F

50

Y

SLG

Swelling

N

3 y

MM

IDC

L

94.

F

40

Y

SMG (L)

Swelling

N

10 y

N

ILC

R

95.

F

69

N

P (L)

Swelling

Y

Bone

ILC

R

96.

F

50

N

P (L)

Swelling

Y

Axillary LN

IDC

L

Abbreviations: Ant, anterior; AS, angiosarcoma; BC, breast cancer; BL, bilateral; BM, buccal mucosa; BP, Bell's palsy; CP, cystosarcoma phyllodes; F, female; FNP, facial nerve palsy; FOM, floor of mouth; G, gingiva; HS, hemangiosarcoma; IDC, invasive ductal carcinoma; ILC, invasive lobular carcinoma; L, left; LN, lymph node; M, male; MM, multiple metastasis; Mand, mandible; Max, maxilla; MPT, malignant phyllodes tumor; NA, not available; P, parotid; Post, posterior; PS, phyllode sarcoma; R, right; RM, retromolar; SLG, sublingual gland; SM, sarcomatous; SMG, submandibular gland; SNA, site not available; T, tongue; TN, triple negative; To, tonsil; UD, undifferentiated; Y, yes.


Table 3

Immunoprofile of patients with breast cancer metastasizing to oral soft tissues (September 1967–September 2023)

Patient no.

Immunoreactivity of tumor cells

1.

NA

2.

NA

3.

NA

4.

NA

5.

NA

6.

NA

7.

NA

8.

NA

9.

NA

10.

NA

11.

NA

12.

NA

13.

NA

14.

NA

15.

NA

16.

NA

17.

NA

18.

NA

19.

NA

20.

NA

21.

NA

22.

NA

23.

NA

24.

+ve (ER, PR)

25.

NA

26.

+ve (ER, PR, EMA, GCDFP-15)

−ve (S-100)

27.

NA

28.

NA

29.

NA

30.

NA

31.

NA

32.

+ve (CK-7)

33.

NA

34.

NA

35.

NA

36.

NA

37.

NA

38.

NA

39.

+ve (CK-7, CK-14)

−ve (ER, PR, HER2)

40.

NA

41.

NA

42.

NA

43.

−ve (ER, PR)

44.

+ve (ER, PR)

−ve HER2)

45.

+ve (CD-31, CD-34)

−ve (HMG-45, S-100)

46.

+ve (ER)

−ve (C-erb2)

47.

NA

48.

NA

49.

NA

50.

+ve (ER, PR)

51.

+ve (ER, PR, ki67)

52.

NA

53.

NA

54.

NA

55.

+ve (CK-AE1/AE3, CAM5)

56.

−ve (ER, PR, ki67, C-erb2)

57.

NA

58.

+ve (ER, PR, ERB2, Ki67)

59.

NA

60.

+ve (ER, PR, ERB2, Ki67, CD56, neuron-specific enolase, synaptophysin chromogranin

−ve (C-kit, GCDFP-15)

61.

+ve (ER, PR)

−ve (HER2/neu-BRCA1, BRCA2)

62.

+ve (ER)

63.

+ve (ER, PR)

−ve (HER2/neu)

64.

NA

65.

NA

66.

+ve (CK-4)

67.

NA

68.

+ve (S-100, p63, Vimentin)

69.

NA

70.

NA

71.

NA

72.

+ve (ER, PR)

−ve (HER2/neu)

73.

−ve (Cebr2)

74.

+ve (CK-7, S-100, PR, Mammaglobin)

−ve (ER)

75.

+ve (ER, PR)

76.

+ve (ER, PR, HER2neu)

77.

−ve (ER, PR, HER2neu)

78.

+ve (ER, PR, CK-7)

−ve (Her-2, GCFP-15)

79.

+ve (ER)

−ve (PR, HER2, Ki67)

80.

NA

81.

+ve (CK-14, CK-7)

−ve (ER, PR, HER2)

82.

NA

83.

+ve (ER, PR)

−ve (HER2)

84.

+ve (HER2)

−ve (ER, PR)

85.

+ve (ER, PR)

−ve (HER2)

86.

+ve (HER2)

−ve (ER, PR)

87.

NA

88.

+ve (CK-AE1/3, CAM5, 2, CK7, S100)

−ve (GCDFP15, CD115, Calponin, SMA, ER, PR, HER2)

89.

−ve (ER, PR, HER2)

90.

NA

91.

+ve (ER, PR)

−ve (HER2)

92.

+ve (Pan CK)

93.

+ve (CK-7)

−ve (ER, PR, HER2)

94.

NA

95.

+ve (ER, PR, CK-7, Pan CK, Mammaglobin)

−ve (GCDFP-15, CD20, CD3, CD5)

96.

NA

Abbreviations: BRCA, breast cancer antigen; CD, cluster differentiation; CK, cytokeratin; EMA, epithelial membrane antigen; ER, estrogen receptor; ERB2: receptor tyrosine kinase-2; GCDFP, gross cystic disease fluid protein; HER2, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2; HMG, human menopausal gonadotropin; NA, not available; PR, progesterone receptor; SMA, smooth muscle antigen.


Table 4

Data describing treatment and prognosis of patients with breast cancer metastasizing to oral soft tissues (September 1967–September 2023)

Patient no.

Treatment given

Prognosis

Survival time from diagnosis of metastasis to death in months

1.

NA

NA

NA

2.

NA

NA

NA

3.

NA

NA

NA

4.

NA

NA

NA

5.

NA

NA

NA

6.

Radiotherapy

NA

NA

7.

Combined

NA

NA

8.

Combined

NA

NA

9.

NA

NA

NA

10.

NA

NA

NA

11.

NA

NA

NA

12.

NA

NA

NA

13.

Radiotherapy

NA

NA

14.

Combined

NA

NA

15.

NA

NA

NA

16.

NA

NA

NA

17.

Palliative

NA

NA

18.

NA

NA

NA

19.

Combined

D

2

20.

NA

D

15

21.

NA

Fav

22.

NA

NA

NA

23.

NA

NA

NA

24.

Hormonal

NA

NA

25.

Palliative

NA

NA

26.

NA

NA

NA

27.

NA

NA

NA

28.

NA

NA

NA

29.

Palliative

D

5

30.

Combined

D

5

31.

Palliative

Fav

32.

Palliative Radiotherapy

NA

NA

33.

Extraction

UFU

34.

Radiotherapy

NA

NA

35.

NA

NA

NA

36.

Combined

NA

NA

37.

Combined

NA

NA

38.

Combined

Fav

39.

Combined

D

12

40.

Combined

D

1

41.

Refused by patient

NA

42.

Combined

NA

43.

NA

NA

NA

44.

Hormonal

UFU

45.

Combined

UFU

46.

Combined

LFU

47.

Surgery

Fav

48.

Palliative

NA

NA

49.

Palliative

D

5

50.

NA

NA

NA

51.

Hormonal

TGO

52.

Palliative

NA

NA

53.

Supportive

D

NA

54.

Palliative

D

8

55.

Combined

D

3

56.

Chemotherapy

D

2.5

57.

Combined

Fav

58.

Supportive

UFU

59.

Hormonal

NA

NA

60.

Combined

NA

NA

61.

Combined

Fav

62.

Combined

NA

NA

63.

Combined

NA

NA

64.

Combined

NA

NA

65.

Palliative

NA

NA

66.

Hormonal

Fav

67.

Refused by patient

D

1

68.

Death before treatment

69.

Combined

Fav

70.

Hormonal

Fav

71.

Combined

NA

NA

72.

Chemotherapy

Fav

73.

Combined

Fav

74.

Combined

Fav

75.

NA

NA

NA

76.

Combined

Fav

77.

Combined

NA

NA

78.

Palliative

Fav

79.

Combined

NA

NA

80.

Combined

D

12

81.

Combined

NA

82.

Combined

Fav

83.

Refused by patient

LFU

84.

Chemotherapy

D

85.

Palliative

NA

NA

86.

Chemotherapy

D

2

87.

Referred to Oncologist

NA

88.

Combined

D

5

89.

Palliative

D

1

90.

Death before treatment

91.

Hormonal

Fav

92.

Chemotherapy

D

14

93.

Combined

UFU

94.

NA

NA

NA

95.

Combined

Fav

96.

Combined

Fav

Abbreviations: D, death; Fav, favorable; LFU, lost to follow-up; NA, not available; TGO, treatment going on; UFU, under follow-up.




Results

Our research strategy revealed a total of 88 relevant papers[7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] [40] [41] [42] [43] [44] [45] [46] [47] [48] [49] [50] [51] [52] [53] [54] [55] [56] [57] [58] [59] [60] [61] [62] [63] [64] [65] [66] [67] [68] [69] [70] [71] [72] [73] [74] [75] [76] [77] [78] [79] [80] [81] [82] [83] [84] [85] [86] [87] [88] [89] [90] [91] [92] [93] [94] from September 1967 to September 2023. The results were expressed in descriptive statistics ([Table 4]). A total of 96 patients were included with 83 females and 1 male with a female to male ratio of 83:1. In 12 cases, no specific gender was documented. The maximum number of cases were from the United Kingdom (n-16) followed by India (n-15), United States (n-7), Israel (n-6), Italy and Japan (n-5). The patients' average age was 54.4 years (range: 24–89). The mean age was 53.8 years in females, and the age of male patients was 88 years. A total of 68 of the 96 patients (70.8%) had a previous history of BC, whereas 17 (17.7%) had none. The most predominant site of OSTM was salivary glands (56.3%) > gingiva (16.7%) > tonsils (7.3%) tongue (6.3%) > buccal mucosa (5.2%). Swelling/lump/mass were the most predominant symptoms (62.5%) followed by ulcerative, pedunculated and nodular lesions. OST was the initial site of metastasis in 17.7% of individuals, the only site of metastasis in 32.3% of cases, whereas 33.3% of cases involved other distant sites too. The most common type of BC diagnosed was invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) followed by invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC). Major therapeutic aids included were combined therapies (35.4%) and palliative therapy (12.5%). A total of 20.8% of patients died with a mean survival rate of 1 to 15 months ([Table 5]).

Table 5

Summary of results documented from literature research describing the characteristics of patients with breast cancer metastasizing to oral soft tissues (September 1967–September 2023)

Feature

Number/percentage

Total number of papers published

88

• Case reports-82

• Retrospective analysis-3

• Original research-2

• Case series-1

Total number of patients

96

Worldwide distribution of cases

• UK-16 (16.7%)

• India-15 (15.6%)

• United States-7 (7.3%)

• Israel-6 (6.2%)

• Italy = Japan-5 (5.2%)

• Brazil = Turkey-4 (4.2%)

• Germany = Poland = Spain = Tunisia-3 (3.1%)

• Belgium = Iran = Nigeria-2 (2.1%)

• Africa = Australia = Canada = Cyprus = China = Durham = Finland = Greece = Kuwait = 

 Indonesia = Ireland = Lebanon = Portugal = Senegal = South Korea = West indies-1 (1%)

Gender

• F-83 (86.5%)

• M-1 (1%)

• NA-12 (12.5%)

Average age of patients (range)

• Total-54.4 (24–89)

• Females-53.8 (24–89)

• Males-88

Previous history of BC

• Y-68 (70.8%)

• N-17 (17.7%)

• NA-11 (11.5%)

Site of oral metastasis

• Salivary Glands-54 (56.3%)

   - P-46 (R-18, L-23, BL-2 SNA-3

   - SMG-7 (L-2, R-1 SNA-4

   - SLG-1

• Gingiva-16 (16.7%)

 (Max-7, Mand-5, SNA-3, BL-1)

  - Max (Ant-4, Post-,1 SNA-2), (R-2, L-2,, SNA-3)

  - Mand (Ant-2, Post-3), (R-3, L-2)

• To-7 (7.3%), L-4 R-2, BL-1

• T-6 (6.3%)

• BM-5 (5.2%). L-2, R-3

• RM-MS = 2 (2.1%)

• FOM = vestibule = submental region-1(1%)

• NA-1 (1%)

Clinical features

• Swelling/mass/lump-60 (62.5%)

• Ulcerative lesions-8 (8.4%)

• FNP-7 (7.3%)

• Exophytic growth-5 (5.2%)

• Pedunculated mass-4 (4.2%)

• Nodular-2 (2.1%)

• Epulis-like growth = BP = hypoesthesia-1 (1%)

Oral soft tissues as the initial site of metastasis

• Y-17 (17.7%)

• N-68 (70.6%)

• NA-11 (11.5%)

Any other site of metastasis

• Y-32 (33.3%)

• N-31 (32.3%)

• NA-33 (34.3%)

Average time of detection of metastasis after diagnosis of BC

• 1 wk to 26 y

Type of BC

• IDC-68 (70.8%)

• NA-8 (8.3%)

• ILC-6 (6.2%)

• MPT-4 (4.2%)

• AS = CP = TN-2 (2.1%)

• HS = UD = PS = SM-1 (1%)

Treatment aids

• Combined-34 (35.4%)

• Palliative-12 (12.5%)

• Hormonal-7 (7.3%)

• Chemotherapy-5. (5.2%)

• Radiotherapy-3 (3.1%)

• Supportive-2 (2.1%)

• Palliative radiotherapy = surgery = extraction-1 (1%)

• RBP-3 (3.1%)

• DBT-2 (2.1%)

• RTO-1(1%)

• NA-24 (25%)

Prognosis

• D-20 (20.8%)

• Fav-18 (18.7%)

• UFU-5 (5.2%)

• LFU-2 (2.1%)

• TGO-1 (1%)

• NA-50 (52.1%)

Average time of death from diagnosis of oral metastasis

• 1–15 mo

Abbreviations: Ant, anterior; AD, adenocarcinoma; AS, angiosarcoma; BC, breast cancer; BL, bilateral; BM, buccal mucosa; BP, Bell's palsy; CP, cystosarcoma phyllodes; D, death; DBT, death before treatment; F, female; Fav, favorable; FNP, facial nerve palsy; FOM, floor of mouth; G, gingiva; HS, hemangiosarcoma; IDC, invasive ductal carcinoma; ILC, invasive lobular carcinoma; L, left; LFU, lost to follow-up; M, male; MM, multiple metastasis; Mand, mandible; Max, maxilla; MPT, malignant phyllodes tumor; NA, not available; P, parotid; Post, posterior; PS, phyllode sarcoma; R, right; RBP, refused by patient; RTO, referred to oncologist; RM, retromolar; SLG, sublingual gland; SM, sarcomatous; SMG, submandibular gland; SNA, site not available; T, tongue; TN, triple negative; To, tonsil; TGO, treatment going on; UD, undifferentiated; UFU, under follow-up; Y, yes.



Discussion

BC is the first and second leading cause of cancer-related death in developing and developed countries, respectively. In the past few years, the cases of BC have rapidly increased in developed countries, mostly Australia, Western Europe, and Northern America.[2] In the current research, the maximum number of cases were from the United Kingdom (16.7%) followed by India (15.6%), United States (7.3%), Israel (6.2%), Italy and Japan (5.2%). Other regions involved a few cases ([Table 4]).

BC occurs predominantly during the fifth to sixth decade.[1] In the current study, the age ranged between second and eighth decade. Multiple underlying causes favor the development of BC that include obesity, hormonal and reproductive risk factors, alcohol, drug usage, malnutrition, genetic mutations, etc.[2] In the current research, there were not many associated risk factors, only a few patients had a history of obesity, hypertension, and a family history of BC.

Distant metastasis is the most common cause of death in BC patients. Distant spread of BC most often occurs in the lungs, bones, liver, and brain. The oral cavity is the rarest site. If this occurs, the JB is more affected than OST.[3] Pathogenic mechanisms of metastasis to the OST are not completely recognized. The route of secondary metastasis may be either hematogenous, lymphatic, or direct invasion. BC spreads to the OST predominantly following the hematogenous route. One of the proposed pathways is via Batson's valve plexus system.[51]

In the current research, we could document 96 cases of BC metastasizing to OST to date. The first case was reported in 1967.[7] The most common OST involved were salivary glands followed by gingiva, tonsils, tongue, and buccal mucosa. Parotid was the most common gland affected (n-46) followed by the submandibular gland (n-7). Only one case involved the sublingual gland.

Chronically, the inflamed mucosa of the gingiva, particularly the attached gingiva, contains a dense capillary network that can trap malignant cells and promote metastases.[4] In the current research, Studies conclude that gingival metastasis mostly occurs in the mandibular area rather than the maxillary with predominancy of posterior side involvement. In the current research, however, there was maxillary predilection (n-7). The anterior region was mostly affected in the maxilla, whereas there was more involvement of the posterior side in the mandible. In the maxilla, both the right and left sides were affected equally, whereas in the mandible, the right side predominated more than the left. Tonsils are the rarest site of metastasis. According to research, only 0.8% of malignant palatine tonsillar tumors were from an extra-tonsillar source.[3] Lymphatic spread to tonsils is rare due to the lack of afferent lymphatic capillaries except for retrograde spread via cervical lymph nodes or direct spread, the metastatic pathway is unclear. In the current literature, only seven cases of palatine tonsillar metastasis from BC have been observed. The tongue is a highly circulatory organ, which creates ideal conditions for the spread of cancer. The posterolateral and dorsal parts are more often involved in metastasis due to the rich capillary and lymphatic network and immobility. In the current research, 6/96 cases of metastatic BC involved the tongue, maximally affecting the base. Lip, buccal mucosa, the floor of the mouth, retromolar region, palate, and other OST are the rarest sites of metastasis.

Only a few cases involved these regions affected via BC metastasis.

Oral metastatic tumors are of high clinical importance because they may be the only symptom of an undiagnosed underlying malignancy or the first sign of metastasis.[3] [4] In our study, 17.7% of cases of OSTM from BC presented as the initial site of metastasis, whereas in 70.6% of cases, metastasis was detected after the mastectomy done for BC, with an average time of 1 week to 26 years. The clinical aspects of BC metastasis in the OST vary according to the anatomical site involved characterized by rapidly growing painful or asymptomatic swellings, lumps or masses, difficulty in chewing, and dysphagia. Facial nerve palsy (FNP) may be a feature of lesions involving salivary glands especially parotid. In our research, seven cases manifested FNP. These metastatic lesions often become difficult to diagnose because their variable appearance bears close resemblance to some benign hyperplastic or reactive oral lesions. In the present research, swelling, lump, and mass were the most predominant clinical features observed. Other lesions appeared as ulcerative, exophytic, pedunculated, nodular, and edematous. A history of primary tumors could help in the detection of secondary metastatic deposits. Before the metastatic spread to the oral cavity, the majority of patients are aware of their primary tumors. However, metastasis to OST via BC is a late indication. In the current research, 70.8% of patients had a previous history of primary BC, whereas 17.7% of patients didn't reveal such a history.

Histopathological examination is required to provide a conclusive diagnosis of the type of metastatic lesion. However, it might be difficult to make an exact diagnosis because of varied histological appearance, particularly when the major focus of the primary site is unknown. Other tools, such as special staining, immunohistochemistry, and electron microscopy, may be necessary in some circumstances to determine the initial tumor's nature. A biopsy is recommended for the histopathological examination to provide a conclusive diagnosis of the type of metastatic lesion. However, it might be difficult to make an exact diagnosis because of varied histological appearance, particularly when the major focus of the primary site is unknown. Histopathologically, BC has been divided into various subgroups.[95] IDC is the most predominant type and has been discovered to be the most prevalent metastasizing to the OST. In the current research, the most prevalent type of metastatic BC was IDC (70.8%) followed by ILC (6.2%). Other types were malignant phyllode tumors, angiosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma, etc. Immunoprofile of the tumor cells in individual patients was also detected, which was variable ([Table 3]). In many cases, immunohistochemical analysis data were not available.

Imaging techniques such as computerized tomography scans and magnetic resonance imaging can help in the assessment of possible extension or invasion. Positron emission tomography is useful in detecting distant organ metastasis. Although BC entails multiorgan distant metastases, OST might occasionally be the only site of metastasis many times. A total of 32.3% of instances in this study had OST as the only location of BC metastasis, whereas 33.3% had metastasis to other regions as well such as lungs, brain, liver, vertebrae, etc.

The treatment of choice for primary BC ranges from mastectomy to chemotherapy, radiotherapy hormonal therapy, or even palliative treatment. Management for OSTM disease includes a combination of surgical removal of solitary tumors, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, endocrine therapy, and targeted therapy. For single parotid metastasis, parotidectomy (total or superficial) with negative margins (preferably with preservation of facial nerve) and postoperative radiotherapy to obtain local tumor control and to exclude a primary parotid tumor. The most commonly used therapeutic aids in this study were combined therapy (35.4%). Other therapies used were palliative, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and hormonal. Despite the proposed treatments, patients with metastatic involvement of the OST have poor prognosis, with the 5-year survival rate reported to be 10%. According to the current study, 20.8% of individuals died with an average survival time of 1 to 15 months. A total of 8.7% of patients had a good prognosis with no signs of recurrence. In one patient, treatment is going on. Two cases are under follow-up.


Limitations of the Current Study

One of the limitations of current research was the small sample size. Most of the studies included were case reports and case series, and in many of the included studies, individual data of patients was not available.


Conclusions

During the past 56 years (1967–2023), we found only 96 cases of OSTM from BC as the sole primary source. This signifies a rare occurrence of OSTM from BC. The prognosis was poor involving 20.8% deaths with a survival rate of 1 to 15 months. Salivary glands, gingiva, tonsils, tongue, and buccal mucosa were the most prevalent sites to get metastasize. Because of their resemblance to other pathologies and late clinical signs, these lesions go unnoticed the majority of the time. Diagnosis of oral metastatic lesions is a challenging task for the clinicians and pathologists. A thorough examination of the metastatic lesions is required, including a review of the patient's medical history, clinical presentation, and early diagnosis to identify the primary site of metastasis and choose the best course of treatment.



Conflict of Interest

None declared.

Abbreviations

BC: Breast cancer, BM: Buccal mucosa, FNP: Facial nerve palsy, FOM: Floor of mouth, JB: Jaw bones, IDC: Invasive ductal carcinoma, ILC: Invasive lobular carcinoma, LC: Lung cancer, NA: Not available, OST: Oral soft tissues, OSTM: Oral soft tissue metastasis.


Ethical Approval and Consent to Participate

Not applicable.


Consent for Publication

Not applicable.


Availability of Data and Material

Electronic research.



Address for correspondence

Sonia Gupta, MDS
#95/3, Adarsh Nagar, Dera Bassi, Mohali, Punjab 140507
India   

Publikationsverlauf

Artikel online veröffentlicht:
27. Februar 2024

© 2024. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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Fig. 1 PRISMA flowchart showing search strategy. PRISMA, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.