How Important is Histopathology in Management of Benign Lesions of Tongue.

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Lipomas are amongst the commonest tumorsof human body. Approximately 15 to 20% occur in head andneck but oral cavity is an unusual site. They represent 0.1-5% of all benign intraoral tumors, with most lesions occurringin the buccal mucosa. We report a rare case of intramuscularlipoma of lateral border of tongue.Case report A 55-year-old female presented with progressiveswelling on lateral border of tongue. Complete excision alongwith healthy margins was done, and histopathology suggestedit to be an infiltrating lipoma. Patient had no recurrence in 2year follow up.Discussion and conclusion: This type of lipoma is rare(<25cases have been reported so far) and only two cases withhistopathological documentation could be traced in literature.It has close resemblance to liposarcoma, a malignant tumorwith high propensity to recur. Therefore, complete excisionwith healthy margin is mandatory for this rare clinical entity.