Gene

Kinase

Targeted therapy

MAPK/ERK pathway

Biology

Somatic cell

Signal transduction

Cancer research

Dentistry

Ameloblastoma

Maxilla

Genetics

Bioinformatics

Internal medicine

Hedgehog

Sonic hedgehog

Medicine

Hedgehog signaling pathway

Cancer

Pathology

The Surgeon

Ameloblastomas are benign but locally invasive neoplasms which may grow to massive proportions and cause significant morbidity. Although some types of ameloblastoma can be treated predictably with aggressive surgical treatment, recurrent ameloblastoma and metastasising ameloblastoma are still difficult to treat. Recent studies have identified recurrent somatic and activating mutations in the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and sonic hedgehog (SHH) signalling pathways in ameloblastoma. This development provided a possibility that molecular targeted therapies can be used as neoadjuvant treatment. In this review, we provide a summary of the latest WHO classification of ameloblastoma, the current understanding of genetic mutations and novel molecular targeted therapies arising from the recent developments.

Ameloblastoma: A succinct review of the classification, genetic understanding and novel molecular targeted therapies