Osteolipoma of the tongue

Lipomas are common, benign tumours located in any part of the body in which fat is normally present. Some variants of lipoma have been described accor ding to the type of tissue present. A rare variant consists of a lipoma wit h osseous or cartilaginous metaplasia. These lesions have been called chond rolipoma, osteolipoma, lipoma with chondroid or osseous metaplasia, lipoma with cartilaginous or osseous change, or ossifying lipoma. We present the c ase of an osteolipoma of the tongue in a 49-year-old female who was referre d for a painless mass on the left lateral margin of the tongue, and present for about 8 years. Osteolipomas have been reported in middle-aged or elder ly patients with a very long clinical history. These tumours tend to be lar ge and to arise from the deep soft or subcutaneous tissues. The cartilage a nd bone is probably produced by metaplasia of fibroblasts in chondroblasts or osteoblasts, These lesions are benign and do not recur. (C) 2001 Elsevie r Science Ltd. All rights reserved.