Alveolar soft-part sarcoma of the cheek

Alveolar soft-part sarcoma is a rare malignant tumour of uncertain histogen esis, the two main sites of which are the lower extremities in adults and t he head and neck in children. We know of only three case reports of intraor al locations without tongue involvement. Here, we describe the first case o f an alveolar soft-part sarcoma of the cheek which presented in a patient o ver 30 years old and had an extremely rapid and eventually fatal evolution. We have also reviewed hypotheses about its aetiology. (C) 2001 The British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.