Lingual Fibrolipoma - A rare clinicopathological entity

Lipoma is a relatively common benign tumour occurring at sites of the body which are rich in adipose tissue. Due to sparsity of adipose tissue within the oral cavity, lipoma rarely presents in this region. Fibrolipoma of the tongue is a rare lesion. There are only 14 cases reported in the literature. An 85-year-old patient presented with a painless mass on the tongue interfering with eating. There were no risk factors for malignancy and no family history of malignant diseases. Although intraoperatively the lesion was locally infiltrative, histopathology revealed a rare benign fibrolipoma. Mainstay of treatment is surgical excision, but the lesion may pose a dilemma for Surgeons as difficulties associated with removal, due to the fibrous and adherent nature of the growth to surrounding tissue, may be mistaken for a cancerous growth.