Benign Mesenchymoma of the Tongue

Abstract

THIS is a case report of an unusual growth situated at the base of the tongue in an infant. The tumor is called a benign mesenchymoma. This type of growth is infrequently encountered in children and certainly the base of the tongue is an unusual site. The term mesenchymoma has, as far as we know, never been mentioned in the otolaryngological literature and when the diagnosis was reported to us, we immediately had to search for texts and articles that described this tumor. When the word mesenchymoma was mentioned to a number of colleagues, it created exclamations of surprise and of ignorance as to the meaning of the term. It is therefore considered proper to bring this case to your attention. A mesenchymoma is a mixed tumor of mesenchymal elements. While this designation had been used before, Stout in his classification of soft tissue tumors defined and advocated the use