A Rare Case Report of Mandible Osteosarcoma in an 8-Year-Old Child

Osteosarcoma of jaw bones is the most common primary malignant bone tumor arising from mesenchymal cells capable of producing steoid; this disorder predominantly occurs in the long bones and rarely involves the maxillofacial region. Normally, this disease presents in the third and fourth decades of life, is slightly more common in men than women, and affects the mandible and maxilla in the same proportion.
Case report: An 8-year-old girl was referred to an oral and maxillofacial surgeon due to tumoral lesions in the posterior mandible in Sari, Iran. After the surgery, histopathological examination of the tumoral lesions revealed fibroblastic osteosarcoma. Further, immunohistochemical markers were evaluated, results of which approved final diagnosis of mandible osteosarcoma.
Given that osteosarcoma of jaw bones share the same clinical manifestations with benign lesions, misdiagnosis is highly common and diagnosis is challenging for dentists. Accurate diagnosis and early referral are critical in prognosis and survival of patients.