Recurrent basal cell ameloblastoma of the maxilla: a rare histological variant and systematic review of literature

Ameloblastoma is a benign but locally invasive tumour of odontogenic epithelial origin with several histological variants. Basal cell ameloblastoma is the rarest histological subtype with only a few cases reported till date. It shows remarkable similarity to basaloid squamous cell carcinoma (BSCC), cutaneous basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and solid-type adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC). This report describes an interesting case of basal cell ameloblastoma of the left maxilla in a 37 year old man. He had undergone enucleation of a maxillary lesion 2 years back without a pre-operative tissue diagnosis, which was later established to be an ameloblastoma. The tumor recurred after 6 months and was managed by a standard partial (infrastructure) maxillectomy. We review the literature on this rare entity with emphasis on the appropriate treatment modality.