Clinicopathological study of oral giant cell fibromas.
OBJECTIVE
Oral giant cell fibromas (GCFs) are found predominantly in Caucasians and rarely in other races. This retrospective study evaluated the clinicopathological features of 24 GCFs in Taiwanese patients.


METHODS
Twenty-four consecutive cases of oral GCF were investigated from 1987 to 2008. Clinical data and microscopic features were reviewed and analyzed.


RESULTS
The mean age of patients at the time of diagnosis was 29 years. Oral GCF occurred more commonly in patients between 11 and 40 years of age. There were 12 male and 12 female patients. The lesions were found more frequently on the tongue (8 cases) and gingiva (7 cases). The mean size of the lesion was 5.5mm (range, 2-10 mm) in greatest dimension. GCF is misdiagnosed frequently as fibroma (19 cases) or papilloma (5 cases). All tumors were treated by total surgical excision and no recurrence was found after treatment. Microscopically, the GCF was a sessile or pedunculated mass covered with a thin layer of parakeratinized or orthokeratinized stratified squamous epithelium. The tumor was composed mainly of loose or dense fibrous connective tissue with well-formed capillaries and no inflammation. The consistent and diagnostic feature was the presence of large stellate giant cells, usually with one or two nuclei. Multinucleated giant cells were seen occasionally. These giant cells were most numerous in the connective tissue just beneath the epithelium.


CONCLUSIONS
Oral GCFs show no significant sex predilection and occur in patients in the second to fourth decades of life. Usually, the lesions are < 1 cm in diameter and are found more frequently on the tongue and gingiva. GCF resembles fibroma or papilloma and is difficult to diagnose correctly at the first glance. All GCFs can be treated by conservative surgical excision without subsequent recurrence.
Department of Dentistry, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Ru-Cheng
RC
Kuo
Yi-Ping
YP
Wang
Hsin-Ming
HM
Chen
Andy
A
Sun
Bu-Yuan
BY
Liu
Ying-Shiung
YS
Kuo
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005350:Fibroma / Q000473:pathology*; D005870:Giant Cell Tumors / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies