Oral lipoma of unusual size and location: a case report

Resumo

A lipoma is a slow-growth benign tumor of the adipocytes. In the oral cavity, it is more commonly observed in the buccal mucosa; other sites less affected are the tongue, floor of the mouth, and lips. The objective of this report is to describe an extensive tumor affecting the dorsum of the tongue and the therapeutic maneuver performed. A 63-year-old man was referred to our clinic for evaluation of a tumor in the dorsum of the tongue with 6 months of duration. The physical examination revealed an extensive nodule, asymptomatic, submucosal, in the dorsum of the tongue at the left that measured approximately 4 cm. On palpation, the lesion was mobile and had rubbery consistency. According to these findings, the diagnostic hypotheses were lipoma and neurofibroma. Hence, surgical excision was performed and during the procedure a yellowish and well-delimited lesion was observed. The surgical specimen floated in 10% formalin. The histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of lipoma. The patient is asymptomatic after 40 months of follow-up. This report describes an unusual presentation of lipoma on the dorsum of the tongue and demonstrates that this lesion can reach large proportions.