Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
3167285 | Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, Oral Radiology, and Endodontology | 2010 | 5 Pages |
Malignant variants of ameloblastoma include metastasizing ameloblastoma, which microscopically appears benign but has metastasized and ameloblastic carcinoma that exhibits malignant histopathologic features. Ameloblastic carcinoma is classified into 2 types: a primary odontogenic malignancy and a secondary type resulting from malignant transformation of ameloblastoma. Most secondary ameloblastic carcinomas result from malignant transformation of a primary lesion after repeated postsurgical recurrences. Therefore it is rare to find an untreated secondary type presenting with histologic features of malignant transformation from an earlier benign lesion. We experienced a rare case of ameloblastic carcinoma, secondary type which might arise in an untreated ameloblastoma. The mechanism by which a preexisting benign ameloblastoma goes through a malignant transformation is also described.