GRANULAR CELL TUMOR: REPORT OF A CASE IN A YOUNG PATIENT

Granular cell tumors are a rare benign neoplasm of uncertain etiology and probable origin from Schwann cells that in the oral cavity affect the tongue preferentially. The nature of their cytoplasmic granularity may be a result of cell senescence due to lysosome accumulation. This work reports a case of granular cell tumor arising in the dorsum of the tongue of an 18-year-old brown woman displaying a solitary, fast-growing, painful, and sessile 2-cm-sized swelling at the presentation. After excisional biopsy, the microscopic analysis revealed a massive and poorly demarcated proliferation of plump eosinophilic and polygonal cells showing central small dark nuclei and abundant granular cytoplasm. These cells are intimately associated to skeletal muscle. Immunohistochemical evaluation demonstrated an intense positive staining to S100 protein in tumor cells, establishing the diagnosis of granular cell tumor. Since 1 year of clinical follow-up, no recurrence was identified.