Case report of chondroma of the tongue.

A 20-year-old Japanese woman was referred to the hospital for examination and treatment of an asymptomatic swelling of the left dorsum of the tongue. Intraoral examination revealed that the tumor was covered with normal mucosa and oval, firm on palpation and measured 1.5 cm in diameter. The lesion was movable suggesting benignity in nature. No cervical lymph node was palpated. The cut surface of the extirpated tumor after fixation showed a chalky white "core region" surrounded with a yellowish white adipose tissue. Histopathological examination revealed the lesion to be a benign cartilaginous tumor. We report this case of chondroma which arose from the tongue because of its rarity, and reviewed related literature.