Ameloblastoma ex calcifying odontogenic cyst in the mandible: report of a rare case

Abstract

The calcifying odontogenic cyst (COC), or Gorlin s cyst, is now classified by the World Health Organization as a tumor. Ameloblastoma is the most common pathology associated with a COC. This association occurs in two forms, an ameloblastomatous variant of COC and ameloblastoma ex COC. Ameloblastoma ex COC is very rare. In this report, we present the case of an 11-year-old girl with ameloblastoma ex COC, possessing a well-defined unilocular radiolucent lesion with significant bucco-lingual expansion in the anterior mandible. Upon histologic examination, the basal layer of the epithelial cells showed an ameloblastic pattern. Some layers resembling stellate reticulum were present, and in some parts, globules similar to ghost cells were evident in the cyst lining. Surgical enucleation of the lesion was performed and no recurrence was observed after a six-month follow-up.