Calcitonin therapy for central giant cell granuloma.

PURPOSE: A number of alternative nonsurgical therapies have been advocated in recent years for the management of the central giant cell granuloma (CGCG). These include calcitonin injections, intralesional steroid injections and subcutaneous alpha-interferon injections. This report provides the results of calcitonin therapy.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

Ten patients received calcitonin therapy, 9 via subcutaneous injection and 1 via nasal spray, for the management of a CGCG. Patients were reviewed retrospectively

RESULTS

In 8 cases, the lesions resolved completely after 19 to 21 months of subcutaneous calcitonin treatment. In the ninth case, the lesion resolved on calcitonin treatment only to reappear 26 months later. The recurrence was treated with both repeated calcitonin and local enucleation. The tenth case with calcitonin (intranasal) treatment was abandoned due to poor patient compliance, and the patient ultimately underwent surgical treatment.

CONCLUSION

Calcitonin treatment appears to be a viable option for the treatment of CGCGs but, because of the length of treatment time, should probably be reserved for multiple lesions, recurrent lesions, or particularly aggressive lesions. The exact mechanism of action of both calcitonin and other treatment modalities remains to be fully elucidated. The reported success of all such treatments raises questions about the natural history of this lesion.