Appropriate surgical margin for odontogenic myxoma: a review of 12 cases

Abstract

Objective: Odontogenic myxoma (OM) is a rare benign tumor that is frequently nonencapsulated and invades the surrounding bone, resulting in a high risk of recurrence. However, the optimal surgical technique and appropriate surgical margin remains controversial. Here, we report our clinical investigation of 12 patients with OM diagnosed histopathologically.

Study design: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 12 patients treated at our institution. Osteotomy or bone shaving with enucleation was generally performed with 5-mm bony margins from the radiologic extent of the tumor.

Results: One half of the cases occurred in the maxilla and the other half in the mandible. Treatment for maxillary OM was enucleation in 2 patients and maxillectomy in 4 patients. Treatment for mandibular OM was enucleation with shaving of the surrounding bone in 1 patient and segmental mandibulectomy in 5 patients. Radiographs of surgical specimen removed by segmental mandibulectomy indicated that the mean distance between the tumor and the margin was 5.4 (range 3.4-7.0) mm. Tumor recurrence was noted in 1 patient who had undergone enucleation alone.

Conclusion: The 1-cm surgical margin for OM, as reported conventionally, might not be necessary. A prospective study is needed to determine the appropriate surgical margin for OM.