Ultrastructural study of amyloid material in the calcifying epithelial odontogenic tumor.

A typical calcifying epithelial odontogenic tumor of the maxilla was examined with the electron microscope. The tumor cell resembles the ameloblast at an early stage of enamel deposition. Formation of extracellular amyloid masses probably proceeds both by active cellular secretion and cell death, each process adding similar granulofibrillar material to these masses, which tend to calcify. The amyloid masses are probably a relatively homogenous protein material and represent a specific tumor cell product. Further characterization of this neoplasm must include chemical and physical studies of this extracellular tumor product, which is an amyloid material because of classic staining characteristics.