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Nodular fasciitis of the tongue
Antonio Celentano1, Massimo Mascolo2, Gaetano De Rosa2
1Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive, and Odontostomatological Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.
Background:
Nodular fasciitis is a non-neoplastic proliferation within the subcutaneous tissue and the deep fascia of the fibroblasts, probably of a reactive nature characterized by apparent infiltration of the connective tissues by a mitotically active spindle cell lesion. Nodular fasciitis in the head/neck region is rarely found and only 2 previous cases affecting the tongue have been reported.
Methods And Results:
The purpose of this study was for us to report a very rare case of a 67-year-old man with a history of a 3-month subepithelial asymptomatic nodule of the tongue tip with an ulcerated surface. An excisional biopsy of the mass was performed with 0.5-mm surgical margins.
Conclusion:
The clinical and histological features of nodular fasciitis may mimic a head and neck malignancy, but it is often misdiagnosed as a malignant mesenchymal neoplasm. Even if it is a rare entity, nodular fasciitis should be considered in cases of rapidly growing masses of the head and neck region.
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