Predictive Factors of Potential Malignant Transformation in Recurrent Calcifying Cystic Odontogenic Tumor: Review of the Literature

Table 1

Concise review of the literature on clinical and pathological characteristics of GCOC.

Ghost cell odontogenic carcinoma
Clinical Features	Tumor Type: an extremely rare malignant odontogenic tumor
	Age range: 13–72 years, mean: 40 years [5, 9]
	Sex: male predominance [9, 10].
	Location: more common in maxilla than mandible [5, 9, 10].
	Racial tendency: Asians [9, 10].
	Onset: rapid onset [3, 11] or a long time [5] after excision of CCOT.
	Sign and Symptoms
	(i) Painful swelling [3, 12] with local paraesthesia: the most common symptom [13].
	(ii) Some ulcerative with bleeding on contact [14].
	(ii) Sometimes pain is the initial presentation [15].
	(iv) Root resorption (31%) [9].
	(v) Tooth displacements (21%) [9].
Origin	Malignant transformation of a preexisting benign CCOT [5, 10] or other odontogenic tumors [10], Denovo.
Histopathology	Gross: cystic [16] or solid.
	(i) Small basaloid cells or large epithelial cells [10].
	(ii) Ghost cells are hard to find and even disappear [6].
	(iii) Frequent presence of benign CCOT separated or admixed with malignant component.
Radiographic appearance	Mixed radiolucent and radiopaque pattern more frequent than radiolucent lesions [9].
	90% with poorly defined borders and 11% well defined [9].
Behavior	16% mortality of local invasiveness [14] or distant metastasis (pulmonary,…) [5, 17].
	Unpredictable course, some indolent and other potentially fatal [10].
Treatment	Radical surgery.