Tumor or tissue on the soft palate.
May 2, 2015 | 40,00 EUR | answered by Christian Welsch
Dear Sir or Madam,
I had already asked this question on 30.04.15 and received competent answers. Thank you for that. Based on your advice, I visited an emergency practice on the same evening. ENT statement - Doesn't look dangerous. On Monday, I will visit the local ENT for further analysis. However, I am very worried and would like to get your opinion again, based on further information. I had noticed an ulcer in my oral cavity at the soft palate, to the left of the uvula. The tissue seems to be connected to a soft palate by a approximately 1-2 mm wide connection. When exhaling/coughing heavily, it swings back and forth, folding forward and backward. I also noticed that it seems to be interwoven with white fibers, like meshes of a net. I would estimate the size to be approximately 8 mm in length and 5 mm in width, similar to a drop. Could you please provide an assessment based on the information provided?
Thank you!
Dear questioner, first of all, you have the opportunity to ask a follow-up question in this forum to get more information.
I see that you are very concerned, as you are reaching out to us for the third time now.
The second photo that you have posted is a bit better. First of all, I believe it is something benign, but I would still recommend having it removed for clarification.
Again, what I am explaining to you now is purely speculative, an assessment based on my experience and the analysis of the two pictures.
In my opinion, there are two likely and one very unlikely diagnosis. Unfortunately, you have not provided any information about other symptoms and conditions, so I will include them below and you can report back to me in the follow-up question.
1. Option, a fibroma. This is commonly referred to as "wild flesh". It is a benign growth of connective tissue, often developing after an injury. Do you remember anything that could have caused this? Something you may have swallowed harshly or injured the palate? The palate is under significant mechanical stress during swallowing, and often there may not be a clear reason for the growth.
2. A papilloma. This arises from an infection with HPV viruses, which are widespread in the population similar to herpes viruses. Transmission can occur through close physical contact or oral sex. Since the finding is very small, and papillomas can potentially become malignant over time, it is advisable to have it removed and examined. Since the tumor has a stalk, it may even be possible to remove it under local anesthesia in the office, you would only receive an injection like at the dentist.
3. The unlikely option that it is something malignant. In terms of appearance, only a malignant lymphoma of the tonsils would be a consideration, in my 6 years of experience, I have only seen 2 patients with such a diagnosis. Patients with this condition may have what is known as B-symptoms (night sweats, unintentional weight loss, and significant feeling of illness), but not necessarily.
In such a case, the tumor would also be resected (as mentioned above), and then the lymphatic tissue throughout the body would be examined to determine the extent of involvement and treatment would be determined accordingly. While it is a malignant condition, most forms of it have a good prognosis for recovery. And as mentioned before, it is very rare in that location. A carcinoma is almost ruled out, as they typically look different, often have a thick white coating and are often mistaken for a fungal infection. They are characterized by causing pain and a strong foul breath due to tissue decay. They are usually only found in people who smoke and drink excessively. If it were such a diagnosis, removal may be sufficient as the finding is very small.
All other diagnoses that come to mind right now are even rarer.
My advice: Visit an ENT specialist on Monday and ask them to remove the growth, or at least send a large piece of it for a biopsy.
I would be interested to know how it turns out. The week that the pathologist usually takes to determine the nature of the growth cannot be avoided. Please email me through my homepage to let me know the outcome. I am curious to know if any of the mentioned circumstances apply to you.
Do you have any further questions? Regards, welsch
