Head-and-neck squamous cell carcinoma metastasizing to femur-pathological confirmation of a rare site of metastasis of a common cancer

Abstract

A 62-year-old man presented with pain in the right hip of 2 weeks. He was a known case of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the right alveolus diagnosed 8 months back, for which he had undergone surgery along with postoperative radiotherapy. An X-ray and computed tomography (CT) study of the hip showed a lytic lesion involving greater trochanter and the diaphyseal region of right femur with destruction of the cortex and showing extracortical soft-tissue component. A CT-guided aspiration and biopsy were done. Meanwhile, the patient was worked up for myeloma, which turned out to be negative. The cytology smears and biopsy showed metastatic SCC. We are reporting this case because distant bone metastasis in the head-and-neck SCC is uncommon.

Keywords

• Femur
• head-and-neck cancer
• metastasis
• squamous