[Ameloblastomas of the maxilla (author's transl)]

Ameloblastomas of the maxilla usually arise in persons in the middle of their lives and do not show any predominance in sex distribution. Six case reports and a review of the literature demonstrate that the tumor mostly causes unspecific symptoms and therefore is often only diagnosed very late. In the majority of cases the initial treatment was irradiation or limited surgery, assuming that the ameloblastoma is a benign, non-metastasizing tumor. In such cases the tumor tends to recur repeatedly and the disease becomes early incurable by local growth. Therefore ameloblastomas of the maxilla have to be treated by radical surgery, usually maxillectomy, from the very beginning like malignant tumors.