Abstract
Squamous cell carcinoma of the jaw located purely in the bone is rare. Some of these primary intraosseous squamous cell carcinomas are thought to arise from the epithelial lining of an odontogenic cyst. We report a case of primary intraosseous squamous cell carcinoma of the mandible arising from a dentigerous cyst. A 36-year-old woman was referred to our department by her dentist because of a swelling and pain in the mandibular left retromolar region. Radiographic examination showed a unilocular radiolucency with well-defined borders surrounding the impacted third molar in the left-side mandible. Under a clinical diagnosis of dentigerous cyst involving the left mandibular third molar, enucleation of the cyst and extraction of the impacted tooth were performed. Histopathological examination of the surgical specimens showed a cyst with a non-keratinizing epithelium lining and squamous cell carcinoma. One month after the first operation, segmental resection of the mandible with supraomohyoid neck dissection was performed. The defect after mandibulectomy was immediately reconstructed with a scapula osteocutaneous flap. The patient has been followed up for 3 years and 7 months, with no evidence of recurrence or metastasis.
