Atypical Presentation of Clear Cell Odontogenic Carcinoma

Abstract

Clear cell odontogenic carcinoma (CCOC) is a rare malignant neoplasm of odontogenic origin. The usual clinical presentation of CCOC is a mass of progressive growth in the mandible sometimes accompanied with loss of teeth, pain, or bleeding. We describe a rare case of CCOC that showed an atypical presentation not previously described in the literature like a fast-growing painless mass in the retromolar area that reached a considerable size in a few days that caused obstruction of the airway. The presence of airway obstruction required immediate treatment, which consisted of a surgical excision of the tumor via a hemimandibulectomy. This clinical report highlights the possibility of odontogenic tumors presenting like a rapid-growing mass and the importance of clinical differential diagnosis of such presentation.