A Case of Huge Fibroma in the Palate

Abstract

Fibroma-like lesions occur with relatively high frequency in oral soft tissues, but represent reactive proliferation against chronic irritation. True fibromas are rare. Tumor size is often seen to range from the mass of a red bean to a soybean. We encountered a case of huge fibroma in the palate with a long history of more than 30 years. The patient was a 60-year-old man who became aware of a tumor in the right palate about 30 years earlier. The mass had tended to increase in size in recent years, and was introduced to our department for the first visit. As an intraoral finding, a pedicled mass measuring 29 × 27 mm was found in the right palate. We also considered the possibility of verrucous carcinoma, and performed biopsy, obtaining a diagnosis of fibroma. Right palatectomy was performed under general anesthesia in October 2016. We performed immunohistochemical examination of the surgical specimen, obtaining a definitive diagnosis of fibroma. As of 1 year postoperatively, no recurrence has been identified and the course has been good.