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Bilateral numb chin syndrome as a symptom of breast cancer metastasis in the mandible: a case report and discussion on the usefulness of cone-beam computed tomography to assess bone involvement in oral cancer

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Abstract

Although extremely rare, cancer metastases in the oral cavity are significant because they represent a sign of relapse of the primary malignancy and are difficult to diagnose because of their uncharacteristic clinical appearance. Numb chin syndrome is considered an important symptom and a harbinger of malignancy, especially in patients with a history of malignant disease. A 60-year-old female patient with a history of breast cancer complained of a 6-month history of bilateral numb chin syndrome. Cone-beam computed tomography scans revealed malignant characteristics in a bone lesion, comprising a bilateral ill-defined osteolytic process in the mandibular body. A malignancy arising from the breast tissue was confirmed by biopsy results. When numb chin syndrome is present, a proper step-by-step clinical algorithm must include a detailed patient history, clinical examination, three-dimensional imaging of the maxillofacial area, and biopsy. Cone-beam computed tomography may be a useful diagnostic tool for evaluating jaw bone invasion by tumors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Military Medical Academy, 11000, Belgrade, Serbia

    Slobodan Loncarevic

  2. Clinic for Dentistry, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Svetozara Markovica 69, 34000, Kragujevac, Serbia

    Denis Brajkovic, Tatjana Kanjevac & Miroslav Vasovic

  3. Institute of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Military Medical Academy, 11000, Belgrade, Serbia

    Biserka Vukomanovic-Djurdjevic

Authors
  1. Slobodan Loncarevic
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  2. Denis Brajkovic
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  3. Biserka Vukomanovic-Djurdjevic
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  4. Tatjana Kanjevac
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  5. Miroslav Vasovic
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Denis Brajkovic.

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Conflict of interest

Slobodan Loncarevic, Denis Brajkovic, Biserka Vukomanovic-Djurdjevic, Tatjana Kanjevac, and Miroslav Vasovic declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Human rights statements and informed consent

All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1964 and later versions. Informed consent was obtained from the patient for being included in the study.

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Loncarevic, S., Brajkovic, D., Vukomanovic-Djurdjevic, B. et al. Bilateral numb chin syndrome as a symptom of breast cancer metastasis in the mandible: a case report and discussion on the usefulness of cone-beam computed tomography to assess bone involvement in oral cancer. Oral Radiol 32, 136–142 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11282-015-0223-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11282-015-0223-7

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