Distant skin metastases in a long-term survivor of malignant ameloblastoma.

We report a case of distant cutaneous metastases in a 68-year-old patient with malignant ameloblastoma of the mandible. The metastatic lesions were first noted approximately 31 years after resection of the primary tumor. Metastases to lung, pleura, bone, and brain had also occurred. Histochemical findings differ from those described in adamantinoid basal cell carcinoma. Cutaneous metastasis probably resulted from hematogenous dissemination. To our knowledge, this is the first report of such an occurrence in English language literature.