Angioleiomyomas are benign mesenchymal tumors derived from smooth muscle, which rarely occur in the oral cavity. We report a case of an angioleiomyoma occurring in the maxillary gingiva. The lesion was painless, with a lobulated surface, fibrous in consistency, and firm upon palpation. Microscopic examination showed an encapsulated tumor mass composed of large vascular channels of varying calibers, surrounded by thick walls of irregularly arranged, spindle-shaped cells, which were immunopositive for smooth-muscle actin. It is sometimes difficult to differentiate an angioleiomyoma from other spindle-cell tumors, thus we emphasize its histological differential diagnosis.
oral mucosa; neoplasms; angioleiomyoma; maxilla
