Central Xanthoma of the Mandible: Report of Two Cases

Abstract

Central xanthoma (CX), a benign proliferation of foamy histiocytes, rarely affects the jaws, particularly the posterior mandible of young adults. We report 2 new cases of CX in the mandible of a 23-year-old man who presented with a 1.5 cm well-circumscribed unilocular radiolucency close to the basal cortical of the posterior mandible, with a thinning of the mandibular canal corticals, and of a 46-year-old woman with a 2-cm well-circumscribed unilocular radiolucency in the periradicular region of lower incisor and canine, exhibiting buccal cortical destruction. Microscopic evaluation showed little fibrous tissue with predominant nests of foamy histiocytes, which were positive for CD68 and CD163, and negative for CD34, S100, and CD1a, supporting the final diagnosis of CX of the mandible. The patients were submitted to conservative surgical removal of lesions, with no recurrence observed after 12 months of follow-up. Clinicians should consider CX while evaluating unilocular radiolucencies in the posterior mandible.