SARCOMA OF MECKELS CARTILAGE

A 40-year-old black man noticed a gradual swelling of his mandible, ac companied by an increase in the mobility of the left lateral and canin e teeth (Fig. 1). Intraoral examination revealed a tumor mass, extendi ng from the medial side of the right maxillary canine to the distal si de of the left maxillary lateral incisor and involving the palatal asp ect of the alveolar ridge. The covering mucosa showed extensive ulcera tions. The patient experienced pain in the oral cavity. Examination of the neck showed slightly enlarged and mobile submental lymph nodes on both sides. The roentgenologic examination of the face revealed lytic destruction running horizontally through the mandible, coupled with e nlargement of the adjacent soft tissue (Fig. 2). A biopsy specimen, ob tained through intraosseous curettage, revealed an undifferentiated fu socellular sarcoma, consisting of cells with hyperchromatic nuclei, an d scarce mitotic figures (Fig. 3). Immunoperoxidase staining from HMB- 45 and keratin were negative. The patient died 20 days after the histo pathologic diagnosis.