Cartilage Analogue of Fibromatosis in the Maxillary Alveolar Bone.

Cartilage analogue of fibromatosis is a relatively common tumor in the palms and soles of young children and adolescence. The characteristic histological finding of the tumor is the differentiation toward cartilage formation within a background of fibromatosis-like growth. Therefore, the tumor may cause potential diagnostic problems in the maxillofacial bones where it has not been described. The purpose of the present report is to describe the imaging characteristics, histological and immunohistochemical features of an extremely rare case of cartilage analogue of fibromatosis in the maxillary alveolar bone of a 25-year-old female.

Expression of ameloblastin in the human tooth germ and ameloblastoma.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the immunohistochemical expression of ameloblastin in the bell stage of tooth germ and compare with ameloblastoma to determine the level of differentiation of tumour cells. STUDY DESIGN: This study included eleven human tooth germs with four in the early and seven in the late bell stage, and six selected archival tissue samples of ameloblastomas were studied using haematoxylin and eosin, Masson's trichrome and ameloblastin. RESULTS: All eleven tooth germs reacted positively to ameloblastin with a characteristic inverted and sequential pattern of expression in the acellular zone of the dental papilla and enamel organ. Of the six cases of ameloblastoma, five cases showed a variable level of expression of ameloblastin in the tumour cells, whereas in one case, ameloblastin was negative in the tumour cells but positive in the stromal fibrous tissue collar. CONCLUSION: Expression of ameloblastin in human tooth germ is related to differentiation and mineralization, and it correlates with the state of differentiation of the tumour cells in ameloblastoma.

Aggressive fibromatosis of the mandible in a two-month old infant.

Aggressive fibromatosis is a benign spindle cell tumor with locally infiltrative behavior and tendency to recur. It has overlapping features with other spindle cell lesions and hence it is pertinent to be distinguished from them as they have different treatment modalities. We report a rare case involving the mandible of a two-month old infant with histopathological, immunohistochemical and imaging features.

Plagiarism and scientific writing: a personal commentary.

There have been a number of papers that have addressed the issue of plagiarism. Nevertheless, the charges of plagiarism usually merit little attention with experts, because it is still not clear what sort of copying actually constitutes plagiarism. Another problem that eludes consensus is whether plagiarism was committed with or without intention. This paper discusses certain issues relating to plagiarism and differentiates between intentional and unintentional forms of plagiarism.

Plasmablastic extramedullary plasmacytoma.

Extramedullary plasmactyoma is the solitary, soft tissue form of plasma cell neoplasm but lack the defining features of medullary or multiple myeloma. The diagnosis is difficult to make in routine practice setting due to the morphological and immunohistochemical overlap with plasmablastic lymphoma. We report a case of plasmablastic extramedullary plasmacytoma in a 52-year-old in the mandibular lingual gingiva and discuss its differential from plasmablastic lymphoma. The gingival mass regressed with primary radiotherapy.

Ossifying fibroma with non-specific cystic degeneration: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Fibro-osseous lesion are a group histologically similar lesions but with characteristic clinical and radiographic features. The definitive diagnosis of these lesions requires integration of clinical, radiological, histological, and gross surgical features. Ossifying fibroma is an encapsulated lesion that is often found in the mandible of middle-aged females. CASE REPORT: We report a case of ossifying fibroma in a 25-year-old female with associated non-specific cystic changes and mimicking simple bone cyst. CONCLUSION: The case reported here is diagnostically challenging and requires proper integration of clinical, radiological, histological, and gross surgical features to reach definitive diagnosis.

Recurrent unicystic ameloblastoma in a child.

Unicystic ameloblastoma (UCA) is a clinical subtype of ameloblastoma that is considered prognostically different. The purpose of this report is to present a case of UCA showing dual radiographic pattern in a child. A detailed study of the lesion was carried out in an 8 year old female child who presented to our department of oral and maxillofacial pathology. Clinical, radiological and histopathological findings were recorded. In March 2005, a painless swelling in the left side of the mandible was noted, which on radiographic examination showed a unilocular radioluceny enclosing the crown of mandibular left permanent second molar, extending between the left first permanent molar and anterior margin of the ramus. Histopathologic diagnosis was UCA. The lesion was treated by enucleation. The patient returned with recurrence in 2009, at this time the lesion radiographically presented as a multilocular radiolucency with a soap bubble appearance, extending between the anterior border of the ramus and second premolar. Histopathologic diagnosis was UCA. The lesion was treated by segmental resection with immediate reconstruction. Although a number of treatment modalities are available to treat UCA, many factors need to be taken into consideration in the treatment of UCA in children.

The pattern of odontogenic tumors in a government teaching hospital in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

OBJECTIVE: This hospital-based study was designed to provide demographic data on odontogenic tumors from the southern Indian population in the state of Tamil Nadu for comparison with pertinent series from other geographic regions. STUDY DESIGN: A total of 489 cases of odontogenic tumors registered over a period of 38 years (February 1970-March 2008) in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology of Tamil Nadu Government Dental College and Hospital, Chennai, India, were retrieved from the files of histopathology registers and were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Odontogenic tumors in the present study constituted 4.13% of all the 11,843 registered biopsies. The mandible was the most commonly affected anatomic location, with 362 cases (74.02%). Ameloblastoma with a predilection for posterior mandible was the most frequent odontogenic tumor (67.69%), followed by adenomatoid odontogenic tumor (9%), odontoma (7.77%), and calcifying odontogenic cyst (5.52%). The patients were affected over a wide age range of 5-75 years with a mean age of 32.64 years and peak occurrence in the second and third decades of life. Among the 489 cases, only 15 (3.07%) were malignant. CONCLUSION: The relative frequency of 4.13% of odontogenic tumors observed in this study, which is the largest series from this part of the world. Ameloblastoma formed the single most common tumor of all odontogenic tumors. This study observed both regional and geographic variations in the frequency and distribution of odontogenic tumors.

Distribution pattern of the adenomatoid odontogenic tumor: a retrospective study from the files of a government teaching hospital, Tamil Nadu, Chennai, India.

AIM: To determine the distribution and clinicopathologic characteristics of adenomatoid odontogenic tumors from Tamil Nadu, India, to provide meaningful data for comparison among different population groups, mainly in the Asian context. METHODS: Forty-three adenomatoid odontogenic tumors were reviewed from 493 odontogenic tumors recorded between 1970 and 2008. The data pertaining to age, sex, anatomic site, associated impacted teeth and radiographic details, provisional diagnoses, and macroscopic and microscopic details of the 43 odontogenic tumors were reviewed. RESULTS: The relative frequency of adenomatoid tumors comprised 8.72% of the total odontogenic tumors. The age range was 9-30 years, with a mean age of 16.88 years for combined adenomatoid odontogenic tumors. The mean age for other variants of adenomatoid odontogenic tumors assessed in this study differed slightly between sexes. Forty occurred within the bone and three peripherally. In general, the maxilla was the predominant site of involvement (72.5%), and the anterior region of jaw was affected in 92.5%. For combined adenomatoid odontogenic tumors, the male-to-female ratio was 1:1.26, and the maxilla-to-mandible ratio was 2.9:1. Microscopically, cystic lesions comprised 37.5% and occurred more often in males with a lower mean age. CONCLUSION: The present study shows variations in the distribution of adenomatoid odontogenic tumors within the population assessed, but no definite conclusion emerged with regard to regional or ethnic effect.

Cystic granular cell ameloblastoma.

Ameloblastoma is a locally aggressive benign epithelial odontogenic tumor, while unicystic ameloblastoma is a relatively less aggressive variant. Although rare in unicystic or cystic ameloblastoma, granular cell change in ameloblastoma is a recognized phenomenon. The purpose of the present article is to report a case of cystic granular cell ameloblastoma in 34-year old female.

Clear cell carcinoma of minor salivary gland--case report.

INTRODUCTION: Clear cell carcinoma is a rare low-grade carcinoma that almost exclusively occurs in the minor salivary glands. This tumour is one of the new additions in the recent World Health Organization (WHO) classification of salivary gland tumours. CLINICAL PICTURE: A 50- year-old woman presented with a gradually enlarging painless submucosal mass of 3 months' duration over the left side of the palate. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME: A preoperative diagnosis of primary clear cell carcinoma of salivary gland with focal surface epithelial dysplasia was rendered after thorough clinical examination to rule out renal origin. The lesions were excised with wide surgical margins and 3 years into the postoperative period, the patient was disease-free. CONCLUSION: We report a case of clear cell carcinoma of intra-oral minor salivary gland and draw comparisons with metastatic clear cell carcinoma of renal origin.

Hemangioma in minor salivary glands: real or illusion.

Hemangioma is a common soft tissue lesion in the head and neck region. Hemangioma in the context of minor salivary glands is rarely encountered in surgical pathology practice, and for this reason most pathologist are often unfamiliar with its histomorphological features. We report a rare histological finding of salivary gland structures within a cavernous hemangioma, which may or may not have originated in the minor salivary gland.