Primitive neuroectodermal tumor of the maxillary sinus in an elderly male: A case report and literature review

Primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) is a rare, highly malignant small round cell neoplasm that has poor prognosis.PNET belongs to the Ewing's sarcoma (ES) family of tumors.Both PNET and ES share a common neuroectodermal origin.1,2 However, PNET exhibits a more aggressive clinical behavior than ES and metastasizes very rapidly.3,4 The term "PNET" was first introduced by Hart and Earle 5 to describe medulloblastoma-like lesions in the cerebral hemisphere.In 1986, Dehner 6 suggested differentiation between central and peripheral PNETs.Subsequently, PNET arising from the central nervous system was termed "central PNET (cPNET)", while tumors developing outside the central and autonomic nervous systems were called "peripheral PNETs (pPNETs)".7 PNET accounts for 1%-4% of all soft tissue neoplasms. 2,8It is more common in children and young adults.11 PNET mostly affects the thoracopulmonary region, pelvis, abdominal region, and extremities; 2,8,10,11 less frequently, it occurs in the head and neck areas.4,12,13 PNET of the maxilla is exceedingly rare among elderly people.Only 10 cases 1,8,10,11,[14][15][16][17][18][19] of PNETs of the maxilla have been reported in the literature.Here, we report a case of a 67-year-old male diagnosed with PNET of the maxillary sinus after detailed clinical, radiological, and histopathological examinations. Case ReportA 67-year-old man presented at a local dental clinic with pain in the left maxillary second molar tooth.His medical history was unremarkable.He was diagnosed with chronic periodontitis and underwent extraction of the affected tooth.However, the pain continued, and 2 weeks after the extraction, he again presented with the complaint of a nonhealing extraction socket.Examination revealed granulation tissue and debris in the extracted socket area with asso-─ 307 ─