Tumors and tumorous masses presenting as temporomandibular joint syndrome

OBJECTIVE: Neoplasms of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) usually mimic com mon causes of TMJ syndrome, leading to delay in diagnosis. To increase awar eness of TMJ neoplasms and establish guidelines for early intervention, we performed a retrospective analysis of a series of patients with neoplasms o f the TMJ, STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: A retrospective review of the records of patients with neoplasms of the TMJ from 1990 to 1997 was done. RESULTS: Six patients were identified. The neoplasms included benign and ma lignant neoplasms. The time from initial presentation to final diagnosis wa s in most cases prolonged, ranging from 3 months to 8 years. Patients typic ally showed advanced lesions radiographically. All patients required surgic al extirpation. Postoperative radiation therapy was used for malignant lesi ons. Patient outcomes were delineated, CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: Neoplasms, both benign and malignant, of the TMJ are rare but represent a challenging diagnostic problem. In patients wi th 1 month or more of recalcitrant TMJ swelling or pain, radiographic imagi ng may be considered to rule out these rare neoplasms. This may lead to ear lier intervention and improved outcome.