Oral cavity metastases are extremely rare, and comprise 1% of all mouth malignant neoplasms.
Aim: To retrospectively analyze the incidence of maxillary metastases, and to trace its epidemiological behavior.
Material and methods: A retrospective study was done of the period between January 1980 and January 2000;the following indicators were reviewed: sex, age, site of the metastasis, site of the primary tumor, and the histological type of tumors in 10 patients.
Results: The prevalence was similar in males and females (05 cases - 50%); three cases presented in the 2nd and 4th decades of life (30-30%). About half of the cases of metastases occurred in the maxilla and half in the mandible. The thyroid and prostate glands were the most prevalent primary tumor sites for metastases (03 cases each); the adenocarcinoma histological type had the highest metastatic rate (50%).
Conclusions: Metastasis of the jaws is very rare and may occur at any age in both the genders, where the prevalence is equal for each sex. The thyroid and prostate seem to be the most frequent sites of distance metastasis of the jaws; the adenocarcinoma is the most frequent histological type causing such metastases.