Mandibular Osteosarcoma with a Preliminary Diagnosis of Ossifying Fibroma: Case Report

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary malignant bone tumor, and most often occurs in the metaphysis of long bones of the extremities. Osteosarcomas seen in the craniofacial bones account for only 5-13% of all cases, and generally appear in the mandible and maxilla. Ossifying fibroma is a benign, non-odontogenic, expansile but commonly slow-growing lesion of the mandible. Patients with mandibular osteosarcoma usually apply with a painful swelling in the jaw over the previous 2-3 months. The swelling could easily be misdiagnosed as a benign lesion. Computerized tomography (CT) scan is the most helpful imaging method for such cases, providing an excellent view of the lesion and its correlation with bony structures. Thus, CT scan must be performed immediately in all suspected cases for early diagnosis. This article presents the case of a 44-years-old female patient with mandibular mass, which was considered a malignant tumor but was misdiagnosed as ossifying fibroma according to the pathological analysis of the incisional biopsy material.