title: Osteogenic sarcoma of the jaw bones: a single institution experience over a 21-year period.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this article is to review cases of osteogenic sarcoma of the jaw bones diagnosed in our institution during a 21-year period.
  
  
  METHODS
  Records of patients seen at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital between January 1983 and December 2003 with histologic diagnosis of osteogenic sarcoma were analyzed for age and gender of patients, as well as sites and histologic types of tumor.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Osteogenic sarcoma of the jaws constituted 0.6% of all the biopsies of oral and jaw lesions seen within the period under study. The mean (+/-SD) age of patients at presentation was 27.2 +/- 13.6 years (range 11-70 years). The mean age of patients with maxillary lesions, 30.7 +/- 15.8 years (range 17-70 years), was higher than that of patients with mandibular lesions, 23.4 +/- 10.1 years (range 11-40 years); however, no statistical significance difference was found (P = .08) There were 12 male and 5 female patients, a ratio of 2.4:1. Nine (53%) tumors were found in the maxilla and 8 (47%) in the mandible, a ratio of 1.1:1. The mandibular lesions were predominant in female patients, while the maxillary lesions were predominant in male patients. The most common histologic subtype was chondroblastic (47%), followed by fibroblastic (35.3%) and osteoblastic types (17.7%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Osteogenic sarcoma of the jaws is rare in patients who presented with tumor and tumor-like lesions of the jaws in our center, in agreement with previous reports from Africa and other centers around the world. However, the mean age at presentation of our patients was lower than reported in other parts of the world.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Lagos College of Medicine, Lagos, Nigeria. gbemilewe@yahoo.co.uk
authors.forename: Mobolanle Olugbemiga
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Ogunlewe
authors.forename: Oluseyi Folake
authors.initials: OF
authors.lastname: Ajayi
authors.forename: Wasiu Lanre
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Adeyemo
authors.forename: Akinola Ladipo
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Ladeinde
authors.forename: Olutayo
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: James
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007573:Jaw Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009549:Nigeria; D012516:Osteosarcoma / Q000473:pathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies