Metastatic adenocarcinoma of the mandible

Metastases to the jawbones are found predominantly in the mandible and are rare in relation to the overall spectrum of oral malignancy. Analysis of the literature shows that the most frequent primary sites are the breast, lung, kidney, thyroid, and prostate. Adenocarcinoma of the mandible, whether primary or metastatic, are usually difficult to diagnose clinically. We report a case illustrating the clinical, radiographic, and histologic findings of a metastatic lung adenocarcinoma of the anterior mandible in a 58-year-old male.