Low grade osteosarcoma on the mandible: a case report

ABSTRACT

Osteosarcoma is a primary malignant tumor arising most often in the long bone, but rare in jaw bone. Especially osteogenic sarcoma of the mandible is a rare tumor, comprising less than 0.5% of all head and neck tumors. Osteosarcoma occurs chiefly in young persons, and presenting very low survival rates. Histopathologically this tumor can be classified three types, osteoblastic, fibroblastic, chondroblastic and classified from low grade to high grade by anaplasia or mitosis of the tumor cells. Sometimes, the exact diagnosis of osteosarcoma is difficult especially in low grade osteosarcoma, even if clinical or radiographical findings suggest to osteosarcoma. So suspcious to malignant bone tumor in clinical or radiological findings, biopsy should be taked from deep portion and multiple area, and sharing the patient history and radiographs with pathologist will assist in the development of the diagnosis. We report a case of low grade osteosarcoma on the mandible initially difficulty in accurate diagnosis. The patient visited our hospital for routine dental treatment but radiographic findings displayed ill-defined radiolucency with osteoid formation on the mandible. Final diagnosis was difficulty in initial biopsy but subsequent biopsy taked from deep portion presented infiltrative growth and mitosis of the tumor cell in some area with small osteoid bone foramtion, so we could reach final diagnosis as low grade sarcoma. We treated this patient with bloc resection of the mandible and immediate reconstruction with iliac corticocancellous block.