Intraosseous fibrosarcoma of maxilla in an HIV patient

Fibrosarcoma is a malignant mesenchymal neoplasm of fibroblasts that rarely affects the oral cavity and can cause local recurrences or metastasis. Fibrosarcomas account for 15% of all soft tissue sarcomas, which represent only 1% of all malignant tumors of the head and neck region. The clinical behavior of the fibrosarcoma is characterized by a high local recurrence rate, and low incidence of loco regional lymph node and/or distant hematogenous metastasis. The etiology for fibrosarcoma has no definite cause but is thought to occur from preexisting lesions or in previously irradiated areas of bone lesions. Immunosuppression associated with HIV infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) has been consistently linked to various cancers, including Kaposi's sarcoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and invasive cervical cancer. Rare neoplasms like Hodgkin's disease, anal cancer, leukemia, basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma have also been demonstrated. This paper presents one such a rare incidence of an intraosseous fibrosarcoma occurring in an HIV-positive patient.