English

Abstract

Papilloma is a benign tumour projecting above the surface of the skin. It grows from the epithelial tissue; develops as finger like fronds. Human contact with human papilloma virus (HPV) is one of the important causes for its occurrence. It feels rubbery and semisolid in consistency. Papilloma is a slow growing and long-lasting common tumor seen in various parts of the body like skin, breast, cervix, conjunctiva, etc. Its location on the exposed parts of the body like, around the face, neck, limbs, etc. causes much discomfort. Hence most of them prefer an early medical and surgical intervention to restore the cosmetic profile of the body to avoid growing physiopsychological discomforts. Clinical resemblance of any such swellings may require a meticulous examination and evaluation to differentiate them from other commonly seen external growths from the body surface; like sebaceous cyst, dermoid cyst, wart, haemangioma, neurofibroma, etc. One such clinical rare case of unusually large papilloma in an elderly lady aged about 65 years was presented with a swelling in her left popliteal region and excised under local anaesthesia, will be presented along with discussions. Human body is prone to show some solitary or multiple swellings on the inner or outer surface of the body. For the clinical diagnosis of a swelling, it is important for a clinician to know its source of origin. Swellings may arise from the skin, subcutaneous tissue, muscle, vessel, nerve, bone, etc. It is also important to consider whether it is a congenital or acquired defect or it is caused due to any trauma, or could be a mere inflammatory response which lasts temporarily.1 An abnormal growth of cells which grow more rapidly than other normal cells in the body are called neoplasms. They may be benign (harmless) or malignant (cancerous). Benign swellings are usually localized, may grow big without spreading or invading into other structures whereas malignant swellings can spread and invade the nearby tissues directly or through the blood or lymph nodes to different organs through metastasis, hence they need a thorough clinical evaluation. Soft tissue swelling especially in the young individuals often may be missed or delayed in the diagnosis of malignancy due to asymptomatic nature of the lesion with unfamiliar age. The nature of the swelling, its duration, location, and tissue of origin also matters in the final diagnosis. Hence it is important to differentiate a benign swelling from a malignant swelling at the earliest. 2