A retrospective clinicopathological study of 59 osteogenic sarcoma of jaw bone archived in a stomatology unit

To determine the clinicopathological features of osteogenic sarcomas of the mandible and maxilla.

A retrospective study was carried out on all osteosarcoma from the jaw diagnosed in the Stomatology Unit, Institute for Medical Research, Kuala Lumpur from 1967 to 2008. All data regarding the age at presentation, gender, race, clinical presentation, radiographical findings and diagnoses were retrieved from computerized records.

There were 59 cases (36 males and 23 females) with ages ranging from 7 to 68 years. The patients comprised 28 Malays, 16 Chinese, 2 Indians and 13 of other ethnicity. Forty cases involved the mandible and 19 the maxilla. The main complaint was painless or painful bony swelling. Nine cases presented with numbness of the associated region. Four patients had history of prior radiotherapy. The radiographic findings which varied from radiolucent to radiopaque lesions were mentioned in only 26 cases. Histologically, the majority (30) were osteoblastic, 19 chondroblastic, 6 fibroblastic and 4 telangiectatic in type. No small cell type osteosarcoma was identified.

Osteogenic sarcoma of the jaws is a rare malignant bone tumour. Over 40 years, there were only 59 cases diagnosed by our institution and to date this is the first report of jaw osteosarcoma in Malaysia.