Hepatocellular Carcinoma Metastasis to the Buccal Mucosa Masquerading As Oral Cavity Malignancy: Case Report of a Rare Entity

Hepatocellular carcinoma, a disease of the developing world, is known to present with extrahepatic metastases. Most common site being the lungs, it is not uncommon for metastases to present at unusual sites like the rectum, spleen and the diaphragm, among others. Metastases to the oral cavity is rare, with the most common primaries being lung, breast and the kidney. Metastases of a hepatocellular carcinoma to the oral cavity is a rare entity with extremely limited data in literature. We present one such unique case of oral cavity metastases from a hepatocellular carcinoma who presented to the Division of Head and Neck Oncology services of our hospital with a large oral cavity lesion, on subsequent workup of which, a hepatocellular carcinoma was identified. Awareness of this possibility can aid in accurate diagnosis and early management of a condition associated with an advanced stage at presentation and poorer prognosis.