Adenoid ameloblastoma: time for a change

The term "adenoid ameloblastoma" (AA) was formally introduced as an aggressive subtype of conventional ameloblastoma, and the name remains today despite controversies surrounding its nomenclature. As additional cases accumulated, the 2022 WHO Classification of odontogenic tumors classified AA as a distinct entity, and not a subtype of ameloblastoma. Although AA shares microscopic features with other odontogenic tumors, including adenomatoid odontogenic tumor (AOT), dentinogenic ghost cell tumor (DGCT), and odontogenic carcinoma with dentinoid (OCD), recent genetic investigations have shed light on the pathogenesis and molecular characterization of AA, confirming CTNNB1 mutations in 25% to 67% of cases. Due to the increasing histopathologic and molecular similarities between AA and DGCT, we recommend that consideration be given to renaming AA as adenoid dentinogenic ghost cell tumor to more closely reflect its biological aggressiveness and pathogenesis.