Metastases to the oral region from pleural mesothelioma: Clinicopathologic review

Background Malignant mesothelioma is a rare neoplasm that usually develops after exposure to asbestos and particularly involves the pleural cavity. It has a poor prognosis with aggressive local invasion and metastatic spread. Methods The literature relating to malignant mesothelioma metastatic to the oral region was reviewed. Results In all, 14 cases of malignant mesothelioma metastatic to the oral cavity were found. All were from pleural mesotheliomas, the tongue was the most common site of metastasis (8/14), and most metastases (9/13) were of the epithelioid type. The newly reported case is only the second report of a mesothelioma metastasizing to the buccal mucosa. It showed strong immunopositivity for keratin markers, vimentin, calretinin, and Wilms tumor product-1. Conclusions The incidence of mesothelioma is predicted to continue to increase for at least another decade. Clinicians and pathologists should be aware of this lesion and its propensity to metastasize to the oral cavity. (c) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 201