Tonsillar Metastasis from Lung Cancer: A Case Report

A 51 -year-old man complained of foreign body feeling in the pharynx 2 months after surgery for lung cancer. The left palatine tonsil was coated with a dirty furlike covering. Biopsy revealed tonsillar metastasis from lung cancer (adeno carcinoma). Intravenous chemotherapy with a total dose of 40 mg of adriamycin and 200 mg of cisplatinum reduced the size of the tonsillar tumor temporarily, but patient became cachectic and died after 6 months of treatment. The clinical findings in 10 cases of tonsillar metastasis reported in Japan are reviewed in this paper.