Ameloblastic fibrosarcoma of the right mandible: immunohistochemical and electron microscopical investigations on one case, and a review of the literature

A case of a 7-year-old girl with ameloblastic fibrosarcoma of the right mandible is described. Immunohistochemical techniques (detection of intermediate filaments, tissue polypeptide antigen, lactoferrin, lysozyme, Factor VIII-related protein, S-100 protein, carcinoembryonic antigen, alpha-foeto-protein, "lectin-receptors") and electron microscopy were applied. The epithelial part of the tumor, which was positive for keratin, showed distinct tonofilaments in electron microscopy. In contrast, the mesenchymal part was vimentin positive. The cells displayed the ultrastructural features of fibroblasts. The observations are compared with those reported in the literature.