Metastasizing Ameloblastoma to Cervical Lymph Nodes: A Case Report

Abstract

Ameloblastoma is a rare odontogenic tumor of the jaws that accounts for 1% of all tumors and cysts arising in the maxilla and mandible. It is a slow-growing locally aggressive epithelial neoplasm, with a high recurrence rate and a low tendency to metastasize. According to World Health Organization (WHO), ameloblastomas can be classified into ameloblastoma, metastasizing ameloblastoma and ameloblastic carcinoma. Metastasizing ameloblastoma is defined as an ameloblastoma with benign histological features that metastasizes, and this diagnosis can only be made after the metastasis occurs. Metastases occur most commonly in the lungs and lymph nodes, but is also seen in the liver, brain, bones, kidneys, and intestines. We report a case of metastasizing ameloblastoma to cervical lymph nodes in a 37-year-old man.