Ewing sarcoma of the oral cavity. A review

Abstract

Objectives: A review is made of the clinical, diagnostic, therapeutic and survival characteristics of Ewing sarcoma (ES) of the oral cavity. Material and Methods: A systematic literature search was carried out, with restrictions referred to time (1960- 2014), language (English and Spanish) and type of study (case reports, letters, datasets, reviews). The following MeSH terms and boolean operators were used: Ewing AND Sarcoma AND [tongue, jaw, maxilla, cheek, condyle OR temporomandibular, floor AND mouth, gum OR gingiva, palate OR palatal, lip, uvula, head AND neck]. Results: Seventy-one cases of ES of the oral cavity were documented from 53 articles. The main differences versus ES of other locations were a younger age at manifestation, a shorter time from symptoms onset to diagnosis, and swelling as the most frequent clinical manifestation versus swelling and pain in the rest of disease locations. The way in which ES manifests in the oral cavity is varied and comprises dental displacement (19.7%), dental mobility (7%), root reabsorption (5.6%), destruction of the dental follicle (4.2%), premature exfoliation (4.2%) and paresthesia of the chin (2.8%). Metastatic neck adenopathies appear in 11.3% of the cases. Significant differences in survival are observed between patients with a complete diagnosis of ES (hematoxylin-eosin staining, PAS positivity, CD99 positivity) and those with an incomplete diagnosis. Conclusions: Ewing sarcoma of the oral cavity presents a series of specific features that distinguish it from ES of other locations.