Dental Implants Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Dental Implants, including details on dentistry, surgery, tooth implants.

Breast metastasis around dental implants: a case report.

Dib LL, Soares AL, Sandoval RL, Nannmark U

Universidade Paulista, São Paulo, Brazil. lldib@uol.com.br

BACKGROUND: Metastases to the oral cavity and to the jaws are rare; hence, the clinical manifestations of the oral metastasis lesion could frequently be simulating general pathologic entities, making the diagnosis a challenging process to the dental team. Local factors, such as trauma, have been observed to facilitate the growth of blood-borne tumors. To this end, surgical procedures such as fixture placement might cause cancer cells to spread. PURPOSE: Careful clinical examination is a valuable help in diagnosing oral lesions, which can improve the quality of life of patients and reduce the risks of oral complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A female patient was referred to the clinic with symptoms of irritation, swelling, and pain associated with implants in the mandible and the maxilla. RESULTS: Clinical examination, x-ray, and histopathology revealed that the patients suffered from a metastatic lesion, primary tumor being an adenocarcinoma of the breast diagnosed at the same time. CONCLUSION: Optimal clinical examination in conjunction with radiography and histopathology is a necessity in order to discover malignant lesions in time. Routine dental check-ups must comprise more thorough soft-tissue examination.

Published 30 May 2007 in Clin Implant Dent Relat Res, 9(2): 112-5.
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