A case of Chondroid lipoma of the tongue

Abstract

Chondroid lipoma (CL) in the oral cavity is relatively rare. Here, we report a case of CL arising from the tongue. A 51-year-old man with a painless soft tissue swelling on the left tongue was referred to our department for detailed examination and treatment. As no metastatic lesions were found at other sites, CL was suspected. Subsequently, we performed tumor resection under general anesthesia. Histological findings revealed mature adipocytes and small, round vacuolar cells against the background of the myxoid and chondroid matrix.Immunohistochemical staining showed that these adipocytes and vacuolar cells were positive for S-100. Furthermore, the myxoid and chondroid matrix were stained blue with Alcian blue staining, and acidic mucopolysaccharides were identified. Therefore, we diagnosed this tumor as a CL. The patient was alive without recurrence or metastasis 14 months after surgery. CL is an extremely rare benign adipose tumor that should be carefully differentiated from liposarcoma and myxoid liposarcoma to avoid overtreatment.