The juxtaoral organ-a pitfall for pathologists.

The first well-documented case in which the juxtaoral organ was identified in a surgical specimen removed because of oral cancer is reported. Recognition of this normal structure, the histological picture of which considerably resembles that of a mucoepidermoid carcinoma was crucial in determining the precise extent of the malignant process. Misinterpreting the JOO as cancer may lead to false prognoses or to unnecessarily extensive surgery. The differential diagnostic importance of orofacial epithelial structures localised perineurally is discussed.