Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Oral fibrolipoma tumors in dogs - signs and study results
By Barrantes Murillo, Daniel Felipe et al.·Published in Veterinary pathology·2025·Auburn University·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Oral fibrolipoma in dogs: Retrospective case series study and comparative review.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 10-year-old male dog was found to have a growth in his mouth, specifically a fibrolipoma, which is a type of benign tumor made up of fat and fibrous tissue. These tumors were most often located on the tongue and were usually discovered by chance during routine check-ups. In this study, 112 cases of oral fibrolipomas were reviewed, showing that they can vary in size and are more common in older dogs. Treatment typically involves surgical removal, and since these tumors are benign, dogs generally recover well after surgery.
People also search for: dog mouth tumor · oral fibrolipoma in dogs · dog tongue growth treatment · benign tumors in dogs · dog oral mass symptoms
Abstract
Fibrolipoma is defined as a typical lipoma transected by variable amounts of paucicellular and collagenous fibrous components. Oral and lingual fibrolipomas are well-recognized histological entities in human medicine that are slightly more prevalent in females, occur most commonly after the fourth decade, and arise from the buccal mucosa. The documentation of this neoplasm in the oral cavity is lacking in veterinary medicine. Through a multi-institutional retrospective compilation of cases submitted to diagnostic pathology services, here we describe the clinical and pathologic features of oral fibrolipomas in dogs. A total of 112 cases of oral fibrolipomas in dogs were retrieved. The mean age was 10.1 years (range 2-16 years, ±2.63 years standard deviation), with an average tumor size of 1.7 cm (range 0.2-8 cm, ±1.1 cm standard deviation). The most common location was the tongue (57.1%, 64/112), followed by the buccal mucosa (15.2%, 16/112), sublingual area (8.0%, 9/112), gingiva and lip (4.5%, 5/112 each), and palate (1 case). The anatomical location of oral fibrolipomas only differed significantly among the dog breeds (< .001) but not among sex, age, anamnesis, or reason for submission. The tumor was most commonly reported in males (69.7%, 78/112), and in 62.5% (70/112) of the cases, the tumor was an incidental finding. Fibrolipoma should be considered a differential diagnosis when considering benign lingual and other oral soft tissue masses in dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39148375/