Bilateral mandibular metastases in medulloblastoma

Medulloblastoma With Metastasis to the Jaw in a Child With Nevoid Basal Cell Carcinoma Syndrome: A Case Report

Medulloblastoma is the most common childhood malignant brain tumor and is considered a minor criterion in the diagnosis of nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome (NBCCS). Metastasis of this primitive neuroectodermal tumor is most commonly neuraxial; however, extra-neuraxial metastases have been reported. Extra-neuraxial metastasis to the jaws is a rare occurrence, with only 8 cases previously reported in the literature. The present report documents a unique case of metastatic medulloblastoma to the mandible in a patient with a previous diagnosis of NBCCS.

Metastasis to the Jawbones: A review of 453 cases

The purpose of the present article was to review the characteristics of the jawbone metastases to analyze all variables. A relevant English Literature search in PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar was performed. All variables such as age, gender, primary and secondary tumor sites were analyzed. There were 453 metastatic cases. The male-to-female ratio was 1.2:1, and the mean age of the patients was 53.4 years. The lung was the most common primary site in men, and breast in women. The most common metastatic site was the mandible, and adenocarcinoma was the most frequent histological diagnosis. Metastases to the jaw bones occur in the advanced stages of a malignancy hence; a careful examination of patients with jaw bone lesions is strongly suggested. Dentists, as well as general physicians, should take into consideration the possible presence of jaw metastases in cases which present atypical symptoms, especially in patients with known malignant disease.

Extraneural metastases in medulloblastoma

Medulloblastoma is the most common childhood malignant tumor of central nervous system, but it may also occur in adults. It presents high invasive growth with spreading of tumor cells into the leptomeningeal space along the neuroaxis early in the course of the disease. Extraneural metastases are rare but frequently lethal, occurring only in 1 to 5% of patients, and are related, in the most of cases, to the presence of ventriculoperitoneal shunt. Here we characterize the clinical profile of five cases of medulloblastoma with systemic spreading of tumor cells, also comparing them to cases already described in the literature.