Intraoral lipomas: Review of literature and report of two clinical cases

Abstract

BackgroundLipomas are benign mesenchymal tumors composed of mature adipocytes. They are classified according to their histological pattern and their etiology remains unclear. Objectives: To present two cases and review the literature.Material and MethodsA search was conducted in the Medline / PubMed and Scielo data bases of the last 10 years (2004-2014) with the keywords “ intraoral lipoma OR oral cavity lipoma”.Results46 articles with 95 cases (56 women and 39 men) were reviewed. The average age was found to be 52.28 years (52.28 ± 18.55); and most of them occurred between the 4th and 6th decade of life. Lipomas occur mostly in the buccal mucosa (n = 36, 37.9%), followed by the tongue (n = 23, 24.2%) and other locations (n = 36, 37.9%). The most common histologic pattern was simple lipomas (n = 40, 42%), followed by fibrolipomas (n = 18, 18.9%) and other types (n = 37, 39.1%). The average tumor size was 19.77 ± 16.26mm.ConclusionsLipomas are a relatively rare finding in the oral cavity. Surgical excision is the treatment of choice and recurrence is not expected. Key words:Benign oral tumor, oral lipoma, lipoma, oral cavity.

Multicentre retrospective study of 97 cases of intraoral lipoma

“…Less than 4% of all lipomas occur in the head and neck area and most of them affect the skin . Unlike dermal lipomas, whose appearance is often multifocal, OL is usually unique, and is generally limited to the buccal mucosa (around 40% in our series).…”

“…There was only a correlation between the progression time and the size of the lesion. This association is logical taking into account that lipomas are benign tumoral masses whose progression time is low, and have more time to get bigger.…”

“…Lipomas are benign neoplasms derived from adipose tissue that are frequently found in the trunk, axillae, shoulders and neck . Facial involvement is rare and less than 4% of lipomas develop inside of the oral cavity . The first cases of oral lipoma (OL) were not described until 1965, and most of the published studies have been carried out in Eastern European countries, without apparent reason …”

Oral lipoma: Case report and review of literature

“…Oral lipoma, a benign tumor of mesenchymal origin, is composed of mature adipocytes and is usually separated by a thin fibrous connective tissue capsule . Roux was the first to describe soft tissue lipoma in 1848 as a yellowish epulis, and Cornil and Ranvier presented the first case of intraosseous lipoma (IOL) in 1880 .…”

“…These tumors are slow‐growing, painless, soft, circumscribed, and associated with submucosal nodules with either a sessile or a pedunculated base . The color of oral lipomas varies from yellow to pink depending on the depth of the lesion, most of which are about 10 mm in diameter …”