Introduction. Ameloblastoma is a rare, aggressive odontogenic tumor characterized by a high risk of recurrence. Although radical surgical resection remains the primary treatment modality, surgical intervention may become unfeasible in cases of multiple recurrences and tumor infiltration into vital structures. In such instances, radiotherapy serves as a significant therapeutic alternative. Case report. We present the case of a patient diagnosed with a multicystic-solid type ameloblastoma of the mandible. Over a 10-year period following the initial diagnosis, the patient underwent 5 surgical interventions due to persistent recurrences and tumor extension into the infratemporal fossa, masticatory muscles, parotid salivary gland and other head and neck structures. Upon the diagnosis of a further recurrence with invasion into the skull base and near major blood vessels, radical surgery was contraindicated due to life-threatening risks. The patient was treated with volumetric modulated arc therapy to a total dose of 60 Gy. Post-treatment evaluation revealed complete tumor regression. At the 4-year follow-up after radiotherapy, the patient remains in remission. Conclusion. Volumetric modulated arc therapy is an effective treatment for locally advanced, unresectable, and recurrent ameloblastomas, enabling long-term remission while minimizing toxicity to surrounding healthy tissues.
Hendra FN, Van Cann EM, Helder MN, Ruslin M, de Visscher JG, Forouzanfar T, de Vet HCW. Global incidence and profile of ameloblastoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Oral Dis 2020; 26(1): 12–21.
2. Soluk-Tekkesin M, Wright JM. The World Health Organization classification of odontogenic lesions: A summary of the changes of the 2022 (5th) edition. Turk Patoloji Derg 2022; 38(2): 168–184.
3. Antonoglou GN, Sándor GK. Recurrence rates of intraosseous ameloblastomas of the jaws: A systematic review of conservative versus aggressive treatment approaches and meta-analysis of non-randomized studies. J Craniomaxillofac Surg 2015; 43(1): 149–157.
4. Turkstani H, Alfaifi A, Akintoye SO. Exploratory advanced radiotherapies for ameloblastoma and ameloblastic carcinoma – a concise review. Oral Dis 2025; 31(10): 2848–2856.
5. Cusack JW. Report of the amputation of portions of the lower jaw: Performed at Steeven’s Hospital. Hodges and M’Arthur, 1827. 1–38 p.
6. Gültekin SE, Aziz R, Heydt C, Sengüven B, Zöller J, Safi AF, Kreppel M, Buettner R. The landscape of genetic alterations in ameloblastomas relates to clinical features. Virchows Arch 2018; 472(5): 807–814.
7. Shi HA, Ng CWB, Kwa CT, Sim QXC. Ameloblastoma: A succinct review of the classification, genetic understanding and novel molecular targeted therapies. The Surgeon 2021; 19(4): 238–243.
8. Akinshipo AWO, Shanti RM, Adisa AO, Effiom OA, Adebiyi KE, Carrasco LR, Kaleem A, Arotiba GT, Akintoye SO. Time to recurrence of ameloblastoma and associated factors in a multi-institutional black patient cohort. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities 2025; 12(2): 899–908.
9. Liu W, Zheng C, Zhang X, Hu H. Recurrence and malignant risk of ameloblastoma: A demographic study of 1626 cases from east China. Oral Oncology 2024; 148: 106651.
10. Boffano P, Cavarra F, Tricarico G, Masu L, Brucoli M, Ruslin M, Forouzanfar T, Ridwan-Pramana A, Rodríguez-Santamarta T, Rui Ranz M, de Vicente JC, Starch-Jensen T, Pechalova P, Pavlov N, Doykova I, Kontantinovic VS, Jelovac D, Barrabé A, Louvrier A, Meyer C, Tamme T, Andrianov A, Dovšak T, Birk A, Hresko A, Chepurnyi Y, Kopchak A, Snäll J, Hagström J, Rasmusson L, Rocchetti V. The epidemiology and management of ameloblastomas: A European multicenter study. J Craniomaxillofac Surg 2021; 49(12): 1107–1112.
11. Jabbarzadeh M, Hamblin MR, Pournaghi-Azar F, Vakili Saatloo M, Kouhsoltani M, Vahed N. Ki-67 expression as a diagnostic biomarker in odontogenic cysts and tumors: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Dent Res Dent Clin Dent Prospects 2021; 15(1): 66–75.
12. Hresko A, Palyvoda R, Burtyn O, Chepurnyi Y, Kopchak A, Helder M, Forouzanfar T. Recurrent ameloblastoma: Clinical manifestation and disease-free survival rate. J Oncol 2022; 2022(1): 2148086.
13. Ajila V, Hegde S. Ameloblastomas vs. recurrent ameloblastomas: A systematic review. J Oral Med Oral Surg 2022; 28(1): 11.
14. Wang R, Li KY, Su YX. Prediction of ameloblastoma recurrence using random forest – a machine learning algorithm. Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2022; 51(7): 886–891.
15. Bwambale P, Yahaya JJ, Owor G, Wabinga H. Histopathological patterns and biological characteristics of ameloblastoma: A retrospective cross-sectional study. J Taibah Univ Med Sci 2021; 17(1): 96–104.
16. Ghai S. Ameloblastoma: An updated narrative review of an enigmatic tumor. Cureus 2022; 14(8): e27734.
17. Effiom O, Ogundana O, Akinshipo A, Akintoye S. Ameloblastoma: Current etiopathological concepts and management. Oral Dis 2018; 24(3): 307–316.
18. Hellstein JW, Timmons SR. Odontogenesis, odontogenic cysts, and odontogenic tumors. In: Cummings Otolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery, 2021, p. 1254–1275.
19. Atkinson CH, Harwood AR, Cummings BJ. Ameloblastoma of the jaw. A reappraisal of the role of megavoltage irradiation. Cancer 1984; 53(4): 869–873.
20. Marxgut L, Fourneret P, Waissi W. Exploring treatment complexity in maxillary ameloblastoma: A case study on the efficacy of radiotherapy with transcriptomic and literature insights. Cancer/Radiothérapie 2025; 29(1): 104591.
21. Hunte SO, Clark CH, Zyuzikov N, Nisbet A. Volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT): A review of clinical outcomes – what is the clinical evidence for the most effective implementation? Br J Radiol 2022; 95(1136): 20201289.
22. Zhao Z, Xiong G, Wang C, Cao W. From pathogenesis to precision medicine: Transformative advances in research and treatment of ameloblastoma. Cancer Letters 2025; 612: 217448.
23. Li W, Li Y, Liu X, Wang L, Chen W, Qian X, Zheng X, Chen J, Liu Y, Lin L. Machine learning-based radiomics for predicting BRAF-V600E mutations in ameloblastoma. Front Immunol 2023; 14: 1180908.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.