Pediatric Mandibular Central Giant Cell Granuloma: Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy to Minimize Surgical Resection

Central giant cell granuloma (CGCG) is a relatively uncommon benign bony lesion accounting for approximately 7% of all non-neoplastic lesions of the jaw. The clinical behavior of CGCG can vary from a slow-growing, painless lesion to fast-growing and locally destructive. When such a lesion involves the mandible, this can be quite debilitating for the patient, inhibiting oral intake and requiring an extensive resection and bone graft reconstruction. The authors present a case of effectively decreasing the surgical morbidity associated with a large and rapidly growing CGCG of the mandible in a pediatric patient. Neoadjuvant immunotherapy with denosumab (human monoclonal antibody) facilitated treatment of the tumor without the need for a large resection which would have otherwise necessitated a vascularized bony mandibular reconstruction. Consideration of neoadjuvant medical management of CGCG as the primary treatment is advocated.