Case Report

Giant cell fibroma of the oral mucosa : a case report in a 15-yr-old patient

¹ Departement of Oral Surgery, CHU de Bordeaux, Univ. Bordeaux, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
² UFR des Sciences Odontologiques, Univ. Bordeaux, F-33000 Bordeaux, France
³ Departement of Anatomic and Cytopathology, CHU de Bordeaux, Univ. Bordeaux, F-33000 Bordeaux, France

^* Correspondence: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Received: 7 September 2025
Accepted: 10 February 2026

Abstract

Giant cell fibroma (GCF) of the oral mucosa is a rare lesion first described by Weathers and Callihan in 1974. GCF accounts for 2%–5% of all biopsied fibrous lesions in the oral cavity and 5%–10% of all oral fibrous lesions. It predominantly affects Caucasian patients under the age of 30, with a slight female predilection, particularly after puberty. This case report presents a new case of GCF in a 15-yr-old boy, comparing the clinical and histopathological findings with those reported in the literature. Clinical examination revealed a well-demarcated, sessile, exophytic lesion with a keratinised surface, pale pink in colour, and papillomatous in appearance, initially suggestive of a papilloma. The lesion was completely excised with a cold scalpel. Histopathological analysis confirmed the diagnosis of giant cell fibroma. The clinical diagnosis of GCF is often challenging due to its resemblance to other benign entities such as papilloma or irritation fibroma. Definitive diagnosis relies solely on histopathological examination.