Jaw Tumors: Causes, Symptoms, Types, and Treatment

Jaw tumors are rare tumors that originate in the jawbone. Jaw tumors can be benign, can also be malignant and damage the tissue around the jaw, including the mouth and facial bones. Therefore, the symptoms need to be recognized early so that they can be treated immediately.

Jaw tumors will usually cause abnormal lumps in the jawbone, mouth, and face. These tumors can originate from the tissue and cells that make up teeth in the jaw or jawbone tissue.

Causes and Symptoms of Jaw Tumors

The cause of the formation of jaw tumors is not known with certainty. However, this condition is thought to be more risky if there is a disease of Gorlin syndrome or also known as nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome (NBCCS).

NBCCS is a genetic disorder that causes the sufferer's body to experience organ and skeletal abnormalities and is more susceptible to several types of tumors, including tumors in the jaw and basal cell carcinoma skin cancer.

Symptoms that can be experienced by patients with jaw tumors include:

• Lumps in the upper or lower jaw, teeth, and palate
• Swollen face
• Changes to face shape
• Pain in the jawbone, teeth, mouth and other parts of the face
• It is difficult to move the jaw
• Numbness in the mouth or face

These symptoms will make it difficult for sufferers to talk, chew, and swallow food. Jaw tumors that are not treated immediately can result in displaced teeth or even dislodged and cause serious damage to the jaw.

Types of Jaw Tumors

Jaw tumors are benign or malignant, and the types also vary, among others:

1. Ameloblastoma

Ameloblastoma is a type of benign jaw tumor that grows slowly in the back of the upper jaw. Although benign, these tumors sometimes can also grow fast and spread to the nose, eye sockets, and skull.

In some cases, ameloblastoma does not cause any symptoms. If symptoms appear, usually in the form of a lump around the jaw, toothache, and jaw pain.

If it continues to be left without treatment for a long time, the tumor can become malignant and spread to the lymph nodes or lungs.

2. Odontoma

Odontoma is a type of benign jaw tumor that starts in the maxilla and usually begins to be detected in adolescence. This condition rarely causes symptoms, but can cause tooth growth disturbed.

Odontoma tumors can resemble normal teeth or form small, large, irregular lumps.

3. Odontogenic keratosis

Odontogenic kerastosis is a benign tumor that appears in the lower jaw, near the back molars. This type of jaw tumor is most commonly experienced by people with NBCCS.

These tumors tend to grow slowly, but can damage the structure of the jaw and teeth, and even risk reappear after surgery and treatment.

< 4. Odontogenic myxoma.

This rare type of benign jaw tumor most commonly appears in the lower jaw and often resembles ameloblastoma jaw tumor. Myontoma odontogenic tumors can grow larger and damage the surrounding tissue, causing complaints of pain, tingling, or numbness in the jaw and face.

This jaw tumor can cause the position of the teeth to shift and damage the structure of the jaw. Odontogenic myxoma can reappear after treatment, but the risk of reappearance can be reduced by more intensive care and regular monitoring by a doctor.

< 5. Central giant cell granuloma

Benign tumors most commonly occur in the lower jaw in the front. These tumors can grow quickly, cause pain, and even destroy the jawbone. Although benign, this tumor can grow back after treatment.

In addition to several types of jaw tumors above, there are also tumors that are nonodontogenic, meaning that the tumor originates from other tissues around it, then spreads to the jaw. Some types of nonodontogenic tumors are:

• Squamous cell carcinoma, a skin cancer that attacks the jawbone through the dental cavity
• Osteosarcoma, which is a type of bone cancer that can attack the jawbone
• Ewing's sarcoma, a malignant tumor that appears in the bones and soft tissue around the bone, including the jawbone
• Multiple myeloma and several other types of tumors, such as breast tumors, lung tumors, and thyroid tumors, which spread to the jawbone

Diagnosis and Treatment of Jaw Tumors

Because it can be caused by many types of tumors, a lump in the jaw needs to be seen by a doctor. To diagnose a jaw tumor, the doctor will conduct a series of examinations on the patient, namely:

• Physical examination
• Investigations, such as blood tests to check for tumor markers, X-rays, CT scans, and MRI
• Biopsy

Through this examination, the doctor can find out the type of tumor and tumor growth and spread (tumor stage). The results of this examination will also guide the doctor in determining effective treatment methods to treat jaw tumors suffered by the patient.

Treatment of jaw tumors aims to remove the tumor and prevent the spread of the tumor. Treatment methods include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, tumor removal surgery, or a combination of the three.

The surgical procedure is done by removing the tumor and a number of healthy tissue around it including the teeth. Therefore, your doctor may also suggest:

• Jaw reconstruction surgery, to improve jaw shape
• Physiotherapy, to train patients to use the jaw normally again
• Periodic health checks to determine whether the tumor has returned or not.

If there are symptoms that indicate a jaw tumor, you should immediately consult a doctor to get the right treatment.

Early detection of jaw tumors is important because it can affect the success rate of treatment. The earlier the jaw tumor is diagnosed and treated, the greater the chance of being cured.

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