Intraoral Lipoma on the Palate of an 11-Year-Old Patient: A Case Report

<b>Background and Clinical Significance</b>: Lipomas, benign tumors composed of adipose tissue, are recognized as one of the two most common fat-containing soft tissue tumors, underscoring their relative prevalence among benign tumors in children. Despite their prominence, lipomas rarely...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Vasileios Zisis, Christina Charisi, Konstantinos Poulopoulos, Petros Papadopoulos, Athanasios Poulopoulos
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Reports
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2571-841X/8/1/19
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850280287824510976
author Vasileios Zisis
Christina Charisi
Konstantinos Poulopoulos
Petros Papadopoulos
Athanasios Poulopoulos
author_facet Vasileios Zisis
Christina Charisi
Konstantinos Poulopoulos
Petros Papadopoulos
Athanasios Poulopoulos
author_sort Vasileios Zisis
collection DOAJ
description <b>Background and Clinical Significance</b>: Lipomas, benign tumors composed of adipose tissue, are recognized as one of the two most common fat-containing soft tissue tumors, underscoring their relative prevalence among benign tumors in children. Despite their prominence, lipomas rarely occur before 20 years of age, highlighting a discrepancy between their commonality and the age at which they typically manifest. This case report focuses on a 11-year-old patient who noticed the presence of an intraoral mass, which prompted further investigation, ultimately leading to the diagnosis of a lipoma located on the palate. Following our diagnosis, we searched for similar cases; however, the relevant literature was rather limited. There was a case report of a 4-year-old patient who presented with a lipoma on her tongue and a case report of a 6-year-old patient who presented with a lipoma on the buccal mucosa. <b>Case Presentation:</b> The young patient came with his parents to the Department of Oral Medicine and Pathology, School of Dentistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, and reported the presence of a growth in the middle of the upper jaw. A tumor, of approximately 1 cm diameter, was observed in the middle of the palate, on the border between the hard and soft palate. The surrounding mucosa appeared normal, which is critical in differentiating the tumor from more aggressive pathological entities. It was characterized by a soft and slippery consistency. The patient was referred to a cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) examination to investigate if there was any bone involvement. Based on clinical and radiographical findings, a biopsy was carried out. The tumor was initially excised in its entirety and the base was electrocauterized to avoid placing sutures. The histopathological examination that followed suggested the presence of an intraoral lipoma since lobules of mature adipose tissue in lamina propria and fatty tissue in close proximity to mucinous salivary glands were noticed. <b>Conclusions:</b> The development of lipomas in young patients can be attributed to a multitude of factors that interplay with one another, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive understanding of these growths. Additionally, underlying conditions such as diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, and obesity also play a crucial role, highlighting the interconnected nature of metabolic disorders and lipoma formation. The surgical approaches for the removal of oral lipomas primarily revolve around complete surgical excision, which is considered the mainstay treatment for these benign tumors.
format Article
id doaj-art-2b9f8d32fd324e4994721051b95fe559
institution OA Journals
issn 2571-841X
language English
publishDate 2025-02-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Reports
spelling doaj-art-2b9f8d32fd324e4994721051b95fe5592025-08-20T01:48:49ZengMDPI AGReports2571-841X2025-02-01811910.3390/reports8010019Intraoral Lipoma on the Palate of an 11-Year-Old Patient: A Case ReportVasileios Zisis0Christina Charisi1Konstantinos Poulopoulos2Petros Papadopoulos3Athanasios Poulopoulos4Department of Oral Medicine/Pathology 1, School of Dentistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, GreeceDepartment of Oral Medicine/Pathology 1, School of Dentistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, GreeceDepartment of Oral Medicine/Pathology 1, School of Dentistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, GreeceDepartment of Oral Medicine/Pathology 1, School of Dentistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, GreeceDepartment of Oral Medicine/Pathology 1, School of Dentistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece<b>Background and Clinical Significance</b>: Lipomas, benign tumors composed of adipose tissue, are recognized as one of the two most common fat-containing soft tissue tumors, underscoring their relative prevalence among benign tumors in children. Despite their prominence, lipomas rarely occur before 20 years of age, highlighting a discrepancy between their commonality and the age at which they typically manifest. This case report focuses on a 11-year-old patient who noticed the presence of an intraoral mass, which prompted further investigation, ultimately leading to the diagnosis of a lipoma located on the palate. Following our diagnosis, we searched for similar cases; however, the relevant literature was rather limited. There was a case report of a 4-year-old patient who presented with a lipoma on her tongue and a case report of a 6-year-old patient who presented with a lipoma on the buccal mucosa. <b>Case Presentation:</b> The young patient came with his parents to the Department of Oral Medicine and Pathology, School of Dentistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, and reported the presence of a growth in the middle of the upper jaw. A tumor, of approximately 1 cm diameter, was observed in the middle of the palate, on the border between the hard and soft palate. The surrounding mucosa appeared normal, which is critical in differentiating the tumor from more aggressive pathological entities. It was characterized by a soft and slippery consistency. The patient was referred to a cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) examination to investigate if there was any bone involvement. Based on clinical and radiographical findings, a biopsy was carried out. The tumor was initially excised in its entirety and the base was electrocauterized to avoid placing sutures. The histopathological examination that followed suggested the presence of an intraoral lipoma since lobules of mature adipose tissue in lamina propria and fatty tissue in close proximity to mucinous salivary glands were noticed. <b>Conclusions:</b> The development of lipomas in young patients can be attributed to a multitude of factors that interplay with one another, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive understanding of these growths. Additionally, underlying conditions such as diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, and obesity also play a crucial role, highlighting the interconnected nature of metabolic disorders and lipoma formation. The surgical approaches for the removal of oral lipomas primarily revolve around complete surgical excision, which is considered the mainstay treatment for these benign tumors.https://www.mdpi.com/2571-841X/8/1/19oralintraoralpalatallipomachildrenpediatric
spellingShingle Vasileios Zisis
Christina Charisi
Konstantinos Poulopoulos
Petros Papadopoulos
Athanasios Poulopoulos
Intraoral Lipoma on the Palate of an 11-Year-Old Patient: A Case Report
Reports
oral
intraoral
palatal
lipoma
children
pediatric
title Intraoral Lipoma on the Palate of an 11-Year-Old Patient: A Case Report
title_full Intraoral Lipoma on the Palate of an 11-Year-Old Patient: A Case Report
title_fullStr Intraoral Lipoma on the Palate of an 11-Year-Old Patient: A Case Report
title_full_unstemmed Intraoral Lipoma on the Palate of an 11-Year-Old Patient: A Case Report
title_short Intraoral Lipoma on the Palate of an 11-Year-Old Patient: A Case Report
title_sort intraoral lipoma on the palate of an 11 year old patient a case report
topic oral
intraoral
palatal
lipoma
children
pediatric
url https://www.mdpi.com/2571-841X/8/1/19
work_keys_str_mv AT vasileioszisis intraorallipomaonthepalateofan11yearoldpatientacasereport
AT christinacharisi intraorallipomaonthepalateofan11yearoldpatientacasereport
AT konstantinospoulopoulos intraorallipomaonthepalateofan11yearoldpatientacasereport
AT petrospapadopoulos intraorallipomaonthepalateofan11yearoldpatientacasereport
AT athanasiospoulopoulos intraorallipomaonthepalateofan11yearoldpatientacasereport