Benign Tumors
Oral Lipoma
Benign tumour of mature adipocytes; the commonest mesenchymal soft-tissue neoplasm but comparatively rare in the oral cavity.
Tissue
Mature adipocytes
Rx
Excision
Recurrence
Rare
§ overviewOverview
Benign neoplasm composed of mature adipose tissue enclosed by a thin fibrous capsule.
§ icdICD Classification
D17
§ epidemiologyEpidemiology
Oral lipoma <5% of head-neck lipomas; adults 40–60 y; buccal mucosa most common.
§ clinicalClinical Features
- 01Soft, yellow, dome-shaped, freely mobile submucosal mass
- 02Painless, slow-growing
- 03Positive 'slip sign'
§ differentialDifferential Diagnosis
- 01Mucocele
- 02Fibroma
- 03Salivary gland tumour
- 04Dermoid cyst
§ histopathHistopathology
- 01Lobules of mature adipocytes with peripheral nuclei separated by fibrous septa; thin capsule
§ investigationsInvestigations
- 01Clinical diagnosis usually; USG or MRI for deep lesions (fat-signal hyperintense on T1)
§ classificationClassification
- 01Classical lipoma
- 02Fibrolipoma
- 03Angiolipoma
- 04Spindle-cell lipoma
- 05Pleomorphic lipoma
- 06Intramuscular lipoma
§ treatmentTreatment
- 01Conservative surgical excision with capsule — curative
§ complicationsComplications
- 01Recurrence very rare after complete excision
§ prognosisPrognosis
Excellent; malignant transformation to liposarcoma exceedingly rare (except atypical lipomatous variants).
§ examKey Examination Points
- 01Slip sign, yellow hue transilluminates
- 02MRI shows fat signal
§ revisionQuick Revision Summary
- 01Adipocyte tumour · buccal mucosa · excision curative
§ vivaBDS Viva Questions
- 01Slip sign?
- 02MRI fat signal?
- 03Variants of lipoma?
§ mcqsMCQs — Assessment (3)
Question 1
Commonest oral site:
Question 2
Treatment:
Question 3
MRI signal on T1:
References
- Neville BW. Oral & Maxillofacial Pathology, 4e
Draft — pending faculty review. Educational use only; verify against current guidelines and primary sources before clinical application.