A Case of Syphilis Suspected Preoperatively as a Case of Tongue Cancer

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by Treponema pallidum (TP). We report a case of syphilis that was initially suspected as tongue cancer. An 86-year-old man consulted a neighborhood clinic with an approximately one-month history of pain in the right tongue. The result of scraping cyt...

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Main Authors: Shigeru Kondo, Ryuhei Okada, Yosuke Ariizumi, Takashi Kurita, Hiroshi Shintaku, Takahiro Asakage
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2023-01-01
Series:Case Reports in Otolaryngology
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2023/9469814
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author Shigeru Kondo
Ryuhei Okada
Yosuke Ariizumi
Takashi Kurita
Hiroshi Shintaku
Takahiro Asakage
author_facet Shigeru Kondo
Ryuhei Okada
Yosuke Ariizumi
Takashi Kurita
Hiroshi Shintaku
Takahiro Asakage
author_sort Shigeru Kondo
collection DOAJ
description Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by Treponema pallidum (TP). We report a case of syphilis that was initially suspected as tongue cancer. An 86-year-old man consulted a neighborhood clinic with an approximately one-month history of pain in the right tongue. The result of scraping cytology of the tongue performed at the clinic was classified as class V, squamous cell carcinoma, and the patient was referred to our hospital. Physical examination revealed a mass on the right side of the tongue and a firm cervical mass. Biopsy revealed no evidence of malignancy; however, the imaging findings led to the suspicion of tongue cancer and lymph node metastasis. The results of blood examination revealed that the patient had syphilis, but since the patient showed few other symptoms, we decided to treat the infection after the planned surgery. We performed right partial glossectomy and neck dissection; however, the postoperative histopathology revealed no evidence of malignancy but nonspecific inflammatory changes with TP spirochetes. The incidence of syphilis has increased dramatically around the world, including Japan, during the last 20 years, and it no longer remains a rare disease. Therefore, syphilis should be included in the differential diagnosis of oral or cervical masses.
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spelling doaj-art-bc6e52c8d63c4b4089f6580ae2598c8f2025-08-20T02:18:33ZengWileyCase Reports in Otolaryngology2090-67732023-01-01202310.1155/2023/9469814A Case of Syphilis Suspected Preoperatively as a Case of Tongue CancerShigeru Kondo0Ryuhei Okada1Yosuke Ariizumi2Takashi Kurita3Hiroshi Shintaku4Takahiro Asakage5Department of OtorhinolaryngologyDepartment of Head and Neck SurgeryDepartment of Head and Neck SurgeryDepartment of Infectious DiseaseDepartment of PathologyDepartment of Head and Neck SurgerySyphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by Treponema pallidum (TP). We report a case of syphilis that was initially suspected as tongue cancer. An 86-year-old man consulted a neighborhood clinic with an approximately one-month history of pain in the right tongue. The result of scraping cytology of the tongue performed at the clinic was classified as class V, squamous cell carcinoma, and the patient was referred to our hospital. Physical examination revealed a mass on the right side of the tongue and a firm cervical mass. Biopsy revealed no evidence of malignancy; however, the imaging findings led to the suspicion of tongue cancer and lymph node metastasis. The results of blood examination revealed that the patient had syphilis, but since the patient showed few other symptoms, we decided to treat the infection after the planned surgery. We performed right partial glossectomy and neck dissection; however, the postoperative histopathology revealed no evidence of malignancy but nonspecific inflammatory changes with TP spirochetes. The incidence of syphilis has increased dramatically around the world, including Japan, during the last 20 years, and it no longer remains a rare disease. Therefore, syphilis should be included in the differential diagnosis of oral or cervical masses.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2023/9469814
spellingShingle Shigeru Kondo
Ryuhei Okada
Yosuke Ariizumi
Takashi Kurita
Hiroshi Shintaku
Takahiro Asakage
A Case of Syphilis Suspected Preoperatively as a Case of Tongue Cancer
Case Reports in Otolaryngology
title A Case of Syphilis Suspected Preoperatively as a Case of Tongue Cancer
title_full A Case of Syphilis Suspected Preoperatively as a Case of Tongue Cancer
title_fullStr A Case of Syphilis Suspected Preoperatively as a Case of Tongue Cancer
title_full_unstemmed A Case of Syphilis Suspected Preoperatively as a Case of Tongue Cancer
title_short A Case of Syphilis Suspected Preoperatively as a Case of Tongue Cancer
title_sort case of syphilis suspected preoperatively as a case of tongue cancer
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2023/9469814
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