Abstract
Introduction
Solitary fibrous tumor is an uncommon mesenchymal neoplasm that may be found in any location. To date, only a few cases of solitary fibrous tumor involving the tongue have been reported.
Case Summary
We present the case of a 31-year-old man with a history of progressively worsening snoring and daytime sleepiness. Polysomnography revealed severe obstructive sleep apnea. An attempt to treat sleep apnea by continuous positive airway pressure and oral appliance led to a poor clinical response. CT and MRI scans findings revealed a large mass in the tongue base partially obstructing the airway. After the excision of the mass all symptoms, included daytime somnolence, disappeared and a polysomnographic examination showed the normalization of the somnographic parameters.
Discussion
Although OSA is rarely caused by tumors, each patient with sleep disorders breathing should be examined carefully for the potential presence of an upper aero-digestive tract neoplasm that may contribute to obstruction.
References
Samadi T, Raza MA, Woodson BT, Franco RA (2007) Obstructive sleep apnea caused by carotid body tumor: case report. J Clin Sleep Med 3:517–520
Pipolo C, Maccari A, Messina F (2010) Late diagnosis of a solitary fibrous tumour of the parapharyngeal space in a continuous positive airway pressure-treated patient. Acta Otorhinolaryngol Ital 30:160–163
Desuter G, Castelein S, deToeuf C (2012) Parapharyngeal causes of sleep apnea syndrome: two case reports and review of the literature. Acta Otorhinolaryngol Belg 56:189–194
Sorrenti G, Piccin O, Scaramuzzino G, Mondini S, Cirignotta F, Ceroni AR (2004) Tongue base reduction with hyoepiglottoplasty for the treatment of severe OSA. Acta Otorhinolaryngol Ital 24:204–210
O’Regan EM, Vanguri V, Allen CM, Eversole LR, Wright JM, Woo S-B (2009) Solitary fibrous tumor of the oral cavity: clinicopatholic and immunohistochemical study of 21 cases. Head Neck Pathol 93:106–115
Yang XJ, Zheng JW, Ye WM, Wang YA, Zhu HG, Wang LZ, Zhang ZY (2009) Malignant solitary fibrous tumors of the head and neck: a clinicopathological study of nine consecutive patients. Oral Oncol 45:678–682
Cox DP, Daniels T, Jordan RC (2010) Solitary fibrous tumor of the head and neck. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod 110:79–84
Cristofaro MG, Allegra E, Giudice M (2012) Two new localizations of solitary fibrous tumor in the Italian population: parotid gland and oral cavity. Review of the literature. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 70:2360–2367
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Ethical Approval
All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
Informed Consent
Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sorrenti, G., Pelligra, I., Albertini, R. et al. Solitary Fibrous Tumor of the Tongue: An Uncommon Cause of Obstructive Sleep Apnea. J. Maxillofac. Oral Surg. 17, 441–443 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12663-017-1053-4
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12663-017-1053-4