Benign triton tumor: a rare entity in head and neck region

Benign triton tumors (BTT) are very rare lesions composed of mature skeletal muscle and neural tissue. We report a case of a 14-year-old boy who presented with asymptomatic swelling of the chin over an 18-month duration which increased gradually to involve the left side of the lower lip. Clinically, a diagnosis of neurofibroma was made. Excisional biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of a BTT. Having an affinity for large nerve trunks like the brachial and sciatic, these tumors rarely occur in the head and neck region. When they do, they may involve the large central cranial nerve trunk and present as intracranial masses or involve the smaller peripheral nerve twigs and present as asymptomatic skin nodules, of which only four cases involving peripheral nerves are reported in the English literature. Here, we report the fifth documented case of a BTT involving the mental branch of the trigeminal nerve. A brief review of the literature is also provided.