Bilateral tonsillar metastasis of gastric adenocarcinoma

Abstract

The occurrence of metastatic tumors in the tonsils, although rare, must be considered in the differential diagnosis of tonsillar lesions. In particular, the review of the literature reports only 7 cases of tonsillar metastasis of gastric carcinoma. The authors describe a case of adenocarcinoma involving bilaterally the palatine tonsils and the lingual tonsil, in a patient previously operated due to gastric adenocarcinoma. The clinical appearance of the lesion could be also consistent with lymphoproliferative or infectious diseases. The clinical and pathologic differential diagnosis of this peculiar case is discussed, together with a brief review of the literature.