International Journal of Molecular and Cellular Medicine (IJMCM)

Central ossifying fibroma is a benign, slow-growing tumor of mesenchymal origin with a predilection for the mandibular premolar and molar areas. The immunophenotype of T cells involved in the antitumor response against this benign tumor is unknown. In this case report, we described a case of a 48-year-old woman presenting with a very large recurrent ossifying fibroma in the mandible, which was successfully treated with hemimaxillectomy. In addition, we evaluated the expression of programmed cell death 1 receptor (PD-1), lymphocyte activation gene-3 (LAG-3), T cell immunoglobulin and mucin-domain containing-3 (TIM-3), cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 (CTLA-4), CD69 (activation inducer molecule) and CD25 (α chain of the high-affinity IL-2 receptor) in T cell populations from the tumor and peripheral blood of this uncommon lesion. The patient presented recurrent ossifying fibroma, and the tumor-infiltrating and peripheral blood T cells showed expression of PD-1, LAG-3, and TIM-3, suggesting an exhausted T cell response.