Chondroma of the tongue. Report of a case

A case of chondroma which occurred in the midline of the dorsum of the tongue in a 40-year-old Japanese male is reported together with a review of the literature. Histological investigation revealed that this lingual chondroma had the characteristics of hyaline cartilage. We regard the metaplastic transformation theory as the best explanation of histogenesis of lingual chondroma at the lateral margin, while cartilaginous rests are the origin of lingual chondroma on the dorsum of the tongue.