Massoumeh Zargaran
1* 
, Shokoofeh Jamshidi
2 , Mohiadin Amjadian
3 1 Associate Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Faculty of Dentistry, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran
2 Associated Professor, Dental Research Center, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Dental School, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
3 Assistant Professor, Department of English Language, Faculty of Medicine, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran
Abstract
Cellular cannibalism (CC) is a phenomenon during which the tumor cell engulfs other cells, including sibling tumor cells or non-tumor cells such as neutrophils and lymphocytes (known as Xeno-CC). This case report aimed to present CC in three ameloblastomas. Microscopically, hematoxylin and eosin-stained slides of 14 ameloblastoma cases were observed at 400× magnification to identify CC. The findings revealed that 3 cases (21.42 %), including 2 plexiform and 1 follicular ameloblastoma were identified with CC and neutrophil Xeno-CC in stellate reticulum-like cells. Furthermore, a few CC were seen in peripheral ameloblast-like tumor cells. CC has been described as an exclusive morphologic feature of malignancies; however, since it has been reported in benign tumor cells such as ameloblastoma, it seems that this concept needs to be revised. Given the relation between CC and aggressiveness of tumor lesions, this phenomenon can be suggested as one of the predicting factors for aggressive biologic behavior of ameloblastoma.