Ewing's sarcoma of the jaws.

Ewing's sarcoma is an intraosseous malignant tumor of questionable pathogenesis which occurs only occasionally in the jaws. Seventeen cases, eight maxillary and nine mandibular, from the files of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) are reported. This neoplasm primarily affects children and young adults. Swelling and pain are frequent symptoms. Radiographically, it is most often seen as a destructive, expansile, mottled radiolucent lesion, which may produce a laminated periosteal reaction. The prognosis is poor, although some reports of combined surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy protocols have offered encouragement for increased survival. Histopathologically, Ewing's sarcoma must be differentiated from other small, round-cell malignant neoplasms, such as neuroblastoma and reticulum cell sarcoma.