Sinonasal Ameloblastic Carcinoma in a 50-Year-Old Filipino Female

Abstract

Objective: To report the possible malignant transformation of primary sinonasal ameloblastoma into sinonasal ameloblastic carcinoma. Methods: Design: Case Report Setting: Tertiary Public University Hospital Patient: One (1) Result: A 50-year-old woman with a previous diagnosis of sinonasal ameloblastoma reported recurrence of symptoms of right-sided nasal obstruction and epistaxis two years after endoscopic sinus surgery. Clinical examination, CT scans, and subsequent total maxillectomy with orbital exenteration revealed a left intranasal mass with maxillary, ethmoid, and orbital floor extension and pulmonary and hepatic metastases. Histopathologic findings of palisading columnar epithelium with reverse polarity with malignant features were consistent with ameloblastic carcinoma. Despite subsequent cycles of chemotherapy, the patient died two years after surgery. To the best of our knowledge, there have been no published reports of a primary sinonasal ameloblastoma with malignant transformation in the English literature. Conclusion: Ameloblastic carcinoma is a rare neoplasm which may arise de novo or from malignant transformation of an ameloblastoma. Because ameloblastoma is commonly encountered in our setting, clinicians should be aware of this possibility and closely follow their patients accordingly. Keywords: sinonasal, maxillary, ameloblastic carcinoma, malignant transformation

Keywords

• sinonasal, maxillary, ameloblastic carcinoma, malignant transformation