A possible case of an ossifying fibroma in a Late Neolithic population from Portugal

Abstract

This paper discusses the differential diagnosis of an unusual bone tumour observed in the right maxilla of one adult calvarium, from the Late Neolithic collective burial of Lapa do Bugio (Sesimbra, Portugal). The differential diagnosis of the lesion gave rise to several possible pathological conditions, namely, ossifying fibroma, fibrous dysplasia, and focal cemento‐osseous dysplasia. Despite the impossibility of performing histological analysis, various macroscopic and radiological aspects lead us to consider ossifying fibroma as the most probable diagnose. This appears to be the earliest reported case of this condition in the osteoarchaeological literature, and adds to the very few palaeopathological case descriptions available for ossifying fibroma. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

An osseous lesion in the maxillary sinus—Tumour or tumour‐like?

“…Two bioarchaeological case studies with osseous lesions in the maxillary sinus from Portugal (3710–3620 BC , Silva & Wasterlain, ) and Spain (sixth–seventh centuries AD; Colard et al, ), both of which have been identified as COF, bear clear macroscopic similarities with the case presented here. As a rule, COFs (ICD‐O code: 9262/0) are monostotic unilocular tumours (Baumhoer, ; MacDonald, ; Slootweg & El Mofty, ) that can reach considerable proportions and cause significant functional and cosmetic problems (Agarwal, Kumar, Singh, & Usmani, ; Kuta, Worley, & Kaugars, ; Lawson et al, ).…”

“…Bone tumours or tumour-like lesions in the areas of the face and jaws have often been identified in archaeological skeletal remains (Bartelink & Wright, 2011;Colard, Gabart, & Blondiaux, 2008;Gresky, Kalmykov, & Berezina, 2018;Silva & Wasterlain, 2010). Establishing a diagnosis, however, is a complex task; macroscopic assessment is therefore not sufficient, and radiological or histopathological analyses are required even in archaeological specimens.…”

An arrowhead injury in a Neolithic human axis from the natural cave of Lapa do Bugio (Sesimbra, Portugal)

“…In 1964, Agostinho Isidoro published some data about the human bones uncovered from Lapa do Bugio, but since then these specimens received no further scholarly attention until the late 1990s (Silva and Marques, 2009;Silva and Wasterlain, 2010).…”

An unusual exostotic lesion of the maxillary sinus from Roman Lincoln

“…Although they may contain a varying quantity of calcified, bone-resembling tissue, like osteomas and osteoblastomas, ossifying fibromas are generally well-defined in radiolucency and are regularly organised (Fu and Perzin, 1976;Liu et al, 2010;Pogrel et al, 2005). A proliferative lesion within the maxillary sinus of a Late Neolithic adult has been recently described and proposed to be ossifying fibroma (Silva and Wasterlain, 2010), a rare case within the published archaeological literature. The morphological and radiographic dissimilarities of SK611's lesion to this, or any of the potential benign or malignant neoplasms known to affect the maxilla or paranasal sinuses, make them an unlikely primary cause.…”

“…Histological evidence may add confidence to a differential diagnosis where microscopic features are pathognomonic, but it is rarely possible to reach a definitive diagnosis based on histopathology alone, due to the similarity of histological features between distinct diagnostic entities (Eversole et al, 2008;Silva and Wasterlain, 2010). With this constraint in mind, a differential diagnosis was attempted based upon macroscopic, radiographic, and CBCT evidence.…”