Synovial Sarcoma of the Tongue: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Synovial Sarcoma of the Tongue: Report of a Case

“…1 Of the 3 to 10% found in the head and neck region, synovial sarcomas of the parapharyngeal region are the most common. 1,3 In the oral cavity proper, synovial sarcomas of the buccal mucosa, floor of the mouth, retromolar region, soft and hard palates, submental region, gingivobuccal sulcus, and tongue have been reported. 3,4 Mir-Abedy 4 first identified a synovial sarcoma of the tongue in 1962.…”

“…1,3 In the oral cavity proper, synovial sarcomas of the buccal mucosa, floor of the mouth, retromolar region, soft and hard palates, submental region, gingivobuccal sulcus, and tongue have been reported. 3,4 Mir-Abedy 4 first identified a synovial sarcoma of the tongue in 1962. In the following 50 years, VillaroelSalinas et al 4 noted the English-language publication of only 13 case reports of synovial sarcomas involving the tongue, 2 of which occurred in women.…”

“…As in this patient, most synovial sarcomas of the tongue had an insidious presentation, with formation of a painless palpable mass and few other symptoms. 3 Surgical resection is the recommended BASILE, HOCH, AND DILLON treatment for these tumors, after which adjuvant radiation with or without chemotherapy can be considered. 1,2 Synovial sarcomas microscopically present with 2 distinct cell populations.…”

Head and Neck Soft Tissue Sarcoma

“…Jernstrom [Jernstrom P et al, 1994] was the first to report the occurrence of synovial sarcoma in the head and neck region in 1954, and since then, more than 100 cases have been reported. The parapharyngeal region is the most frequently affected site, and few cases have been documented to arise within the orofacial region [Almeida -Lawall M et al, 2009]. The most important and accurate prognostic factors in synovial sarcoma are the extent of tumor resection and the presence of metastatic disease, the most common sites of which are the lung and regional lymph node [Rangheard AS et al, 2001].…”

“…Chromosomal studies showed a balanced reciprocal translocation t (X;18)(p11.2;q11.2) in more than 90% of all synovial sarcoma subtypes in all anatomic sites, including the oral cavity. The translocation results in the fusion of SYT or SSXT from chromosome 18 to either SSX1, SSX2, or SSX4 genes from the Xchromosome [Almeida -Lawall M et al, 2009, Kempson RL et al, 2001]. …”