Mandibular nerve schwannoma: a case report.

Benign schwannomas are uncommon and their intraosseous location is even rarer counting for less than 1% of all benign primary bone tumors. They exceptionally occur in the oral cavity with the tongue being the most common site of involvement. We report here a case of intramandibular schwannoma derived from the inferior alveolar nerve, in a 57-year-old patient with a 3 months history of inferior left lip paresthesia. The oral examination showed a firm, painless and non-pulsatile swelling located in the inferior vestibule. The panoramic X-ray revealed a circumscribed and homogeneous radiolucent image. Treatment consisted of total excision of the tumor with preservation of the nerve bundles. The histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of schwannoma. The patient recovered a normal sensory function 6 months post-operatively without any recurrence up to 2 years after surgery. The treatment of intramandibular schwannoma is basically surgical with the conservative approach being the most advocated by majority of authors.

Oral amelanotic malignant melanoma: a case report.

Amelanotic malignant melanoma is an extremely rare and aggressive oral tumor. Herein we report the case of a 42-year-old woman presented with a painful growth in anterior maxillary region. Intra-oral examination showed a non-pigmented exophytic mass occupying the anterior maxillary sector. Incisional biopsy with immunohistochemistry examination revealed a malignant melanoma as it strongly expressed melan A and S-100. Facial computed tomography showed extension to the maxillary bone and hard palate. After thoraco-abdominal computed tomography revealing absence of metastasis, tumor resection was performed respecting 2cm security margin. Oral localization of malignant melanoma is rare especially its amelanotic variant. Lack of pigmentation makes the diagnosis more difficult, usually resulting in treatment delay and making the prognosis even worse. Early detection by histological and immunochemistry examination combined to wide resection are the keys to improving the survival for patients with oral amelanotic melanoma.