Elsevier

American Journal of Otolaryngology

Volume 22, Issue 6, November–December 2001, Pages 420-423
American Journal of Otolaryngology

Case Reports
Prostate carcinoma metastatic to the cervical lymph nodes: Report of two cases and review of the literature

https://doi.org/10.1053/ajot.2001.28066Get rights and content

Abstract

The cervical lymph nodes are a common site of metastasis for cancers originating in the upper aerodigestive tract. Rarely, cancers originating from sites other than the head and neck can metastasize to the cervical lymph node chain. We report on 2 recent patients with metastatic prostate cancer to the cervical lymph nodes. (Am J Otolaryngol 2001;22:420-423. Copyright © 2001 by W.B. Saunders Company)

Section snippets

Case one

A 72 year-old man presented with complaints of left-sided tongue pain and a 3-cm ulcerative lesion on the left lateral oral tongue of 3 months' duration. Physical examination showed no evidence of neck disease, and preoperative computed tomography (CT) imaging of the head and neck showed no other evidence of disease. The patient's past medical history included prostate adenocarcinoma treated 5 years previously with hormone ablation and bilateral orchiectomy, gastroesophageal reflux with

Discussion

Prostatic adenocarcinoma is the most common cancer in males and the third leading cause of cancer deaths. This slow-growing, hormonally-responsive cancer typically presents after the age of 50 and is the second most common cause of cancer deaths in males in the United States. Approximately 100,000 new cases are diagnosed yearly, nearly one-third of which will be lethal.1 The prevalence of latent carcinoma of the prostate may be dramatically higher, with evidence of almost one-third of prostate

Conclusion

The vast majority of cervical node metastatic cancers are of head and neck origin; however, 2 cases of metastatic prostate cancer are presented here. Although rare, metastatic urogenital malignancies have been shown in the cervical chain, and a mechanism for their hematogenous spread from the primary site has been postulated and widely accepted. The astute otolaryngologist will consider these cancers in the differential diagnosis of the neck mass with an unknown primary site. A needle biopsy

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