Massive growth of an intraoral lipoma

The aim of this report is to present a case of one of the largest intraoral lipomas reported in the literature along with a description of its management in an outpatient clinic setting.

Lipoma, a benign tumor of adipose tissue, is rarely seen in the oral cavity. When it does occur it is usually found in the cheek or tongue, followed by the lip, gingival, and floor of the mouth. The lesions appear as asymptomatic, freely movable masses. Size of the lesions varies from 3 to 50 mm with an average of 20 mm.

A 71-year-old male with a movable and huge mass located in the buccal mucosa region, which was first noticed approximately 25 years earlier, was referred to the Maxillofacial Surgery Clinic at the Universidade Federal do Paraná. A clinical diagnosis of lipoma was established, and the treatment consisted of complete excision of the mass under local anesthesia.

Although some larger oral masses are better managed surgically at hospital facilities, the present case was treated with local anesthesia with no complications. The lesion evolution and clinical characteristics precluded an incisional biopsy so the excisional surgical approach was used.

This case report emphasizes the slow growth and benign characteristics of oral lipomas. Even though the lesion presented with a remarkable size, surgical management could be conducted on an outpatient clinical basis.