Spinal cord compression in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the most common malignancy arising in the oral cavity. It can cause severe morbidity and mortality due to its propensity to metastasis. Despite the likelihood of distant metastases, commonly to the lungs, there is little report in the literature of metastatic spread to the spinal vertebrae from oral SCC with secondary spinal cord compression. We report 2 patients with advanced SCC in the tongue who developed signs of spinal cord compression due to metastasis to lumbar vertebrae. The clinical impression of metastasis causing spinal cord compression was confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging.