Start practicing

Pathology · patient case question

Ameloblastic fibroma differs from ameloblastoma in which respect?

Patient case: Cortical Expansion of the Posterior Mandible

demo: 34-year-old male

chief: “The outside of my jaw has been slowly swelling for about a year.”

history: Non-contributory. No pain, no paresthesia.

meds: None

findings: Occlusal radiograph shows buccal and lingual cortical expansion in the posterior mandible. Panoramic view shows a multilocular soap-bubble radiolucency. Clinical images and radiographs shown below.

  1. It is a malignant tumor requiring radical resection with wide margins
  2. It occurs almost exclusively in the anterior maxilla of elderly patients
  3. It is composed purely of odontogenic epithelium with no mesenchymal component
  4. It is a mixed epithelial and mesenchymal tumor occurring in children and adolescents, with myxomatous connective tissue
Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: D. It is a mixed epithelial and mesenchymal tumor occurring in children and adolescents, with myxomatous connective tissue

  • A. It is benign; conservative surgical excision is the treatment.
  • B. It favors the posterior mandible in young patients, not the anterior maxilla of the elderly.
  • C. The mixed epithelial and mesenchymal composition is precisely what defines it.
  • D. Correct. Ameloblastic fibroma is a rare benign mixed tumor of children and teenagers, favoring the posterior mandible, with odontogenic epithelium set in myxomatous connective tissue. If an odontoma is also present it is called an ameloblastic fibro-odontoma. Treatment is surgical excision.

Practice Pathology questions Pathology study notes

More Pathology practice questions