A Rare Case of Cherubism In a 23-Year-Old Man

  Cherubism is a rare hereditary autosomal dominant fibro-osseous disease that is characterized by painless, bilateral, symmetric swelling in the jaw with multilocular radiolucent lesions in the maxilla, mandible, or both, and give the patient a typical “cherubic” appearance. It occurs in children, especially boys, aged 2-5 years. The aim of this study was to report a case of cherubism at an uncommon age that did not improve with age.

The patient was a 23-year-old man complaining of bilateral jaw pain along with swelling and multiple bilateral radiolucent lesions with a previous history of childhood cherubism. In the examination, bilateral and symmetric swelling of the face, especially in the maxilla region, with eyes raised to heaven were evident. The pain was more in the vicinity of the condyle. No abnormal manifestations were observed by the intraoral examination. In the radiographic view, multiple bilateral and symmetric lucent lesions were observed on trunk and mandible, continued to the neck of the condyle.

Despite the common manifestations and age in patients, cherubism can show different manifestations; lack of attention to the patient’s history can lead to misdiagnosis by the pathologist and unnecessary treatments. Due to being a self-limiting condition, non-invasive treatments are preferred; however, surgical management is sometimes required for cosmetic reasons.