A Large Solitary Fibrous Tumor of the Tongue

Abstract

A 75-year-old man had consulted with an orthopedic clinic for numbness of the hands and feet. The orthopedist initially suspected cervical spondylosis but referred the patient to the Department of Dental and Oral Maxillofacial Surgery, Tokyo Metropolitan Tama Medical Center. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a large tumor on the tongue. The patient had a medical history of cerebral infarction and spinal stenosis at 10 years and 1 month, respectively, before the tumor was diagnosed. The patient had not perceived any abnormality involving his tongue before magnetic resonance imaging. The tumor appeared on the left dorsal side of the tongue (Fig 1). The surface of the tumor was covered with healthy mucosa. On palpation, the lesion was elastic, firm, well-circumscribed, and painless. Other than the tumor on the tongue, the oral cavity and neck appeared normal. T1-weighted magnetic resonance image visualized the tumor as hypointense, and T2-weighted and short T1 inversion recovery image showed the lesion as isointense compared