Intra-epithelially entrapped blood vessels in ameloblastoma

The ameloblastoma is a benign but locally aggressive odontogenic neoplasm with a high recurrence rate. While significant progress has been made in our understanding regarding the role of tumoral vasculature relative to the diverse behavioral characteristics of this tumor, no attention has been paid to a distinct subset of blood vessels entrapped within its epithelial compartment. As vascular niches are known to influence tumoral growth, clarification of these vessels is important. The objectives of this study were to investigate the morphologic characteristics of intra-epithelially entrapped blood vessels (IEBVs) in ameloblastoma and to speculate on their relevance.