Clinicopathologic analysis of 14 cases of odontogenic myxoma and review of the literature

BACKGROUND: Odontogenic myxoma is a rare benign neoplasm that originates from odontogenic ectomesenchyme. There is no standard of care and recurrences are frequent after conservative surgical procedures. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective study conducted at a single cancer center, with analysis of medical records of all patients diagnosed with odontogenic myxoma from 1980 to 2010, along with a literature review. RESULTS: There were 14 patients with diagnosis of odontogenic myxoma (OM). Most patients were female (78.6%) and Caucasian (100%), with ages ranging from 7 to 51 years (21.6 ± 11.6 years). The time period between the first symptom and first consultation ranged from 0 to 60 months (19.4 ± 19.97 months). The most frequent complaints were increased local volume or failure to tooth eruption. The most common tumor site was the mandible (11 cases, 78.5%). About radiological findings, most lesions were multilocular (9 cases, 64.3%) and with imprecise limits (12 cases, 85.7%). Surgery was performed in all cases and curettage was the most applied technique (10 cases, 71.4%). Three patients underwent mandibulectomy and complex reconstructions including iliac crest microvascular flap. Three patients had postoperative complications and 4 had local recurrences of the tumor. The follow up time ranged from 12 to 216 months (112 ± 70.8 months). All patients are without clinical and radiographic evidence of disease. CONCLUSIONS: OM is a locally aggressive and rare tumor. There is no gold standard surgical management and the therapeutic decision should be individualized taking into account the characteristics and extension of the tumor. Key words:Mandible, myxoma, odontogenic, odontogenic tumor.