Delayed Hematogenous Metastasis Versus Second Primary Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Neck in a Patient With Previous Cancer of the Cervix

Abstract

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the uterine cervix commonly spreads through direct infiltration and disseminates by lymphatic or hematogenous pathways. The most frequent locations for metastasis are lungs, liver, and bone. Other distant metastatic sites are rare, with only 1 reported case of neck metastasis. We present here a 73-year-old female with a prior human papillomavirus (HPV) + SCC of the cervix that had metastasized to her peri-aortic lymph nodes. Eight years after diagnosis and treatment, she returned with a hypermetabolic supraclavicular lymph node and new left-sided neck mass. Biopsy of the neck mass revealed invasive SCC positive for high-risk HPV genotype. The presence of high-risk HPV genotypes in both the cervix and supraclavicular lymph node, without evidence of second primary tumor, implies that the neck mass is a delayed metastasis of the patient’s previous cervical cancer. This marks the second recorded case of neck metastasis from a SCC of the cervix.