Kimura's disease in soft palate with clinical and histopathological presentation: A case report

BACKGROUND: Kimura’s disease is an inflammatory disease that is usually found in the deep lymph nodes of the head and neck. While rare, It is most frequently seen in young men. The oral cavity and salivary glands may also be involved. There are no reports on tumor occurring in soft palate. We have encountered a case of Kimura’s disease in the soft palate of an elderly woman. CASE SUMMARY: A 63-year-old elderly Chinese woman with a slowly growing mass in the upper jaw was referred to our service. A biopsy to the mass was taken after the patient was referred to our service. The tumor was diagnosed as benign. We performed cervical lymph node puncture and partial surgical excision of the lesion. The tumor, which showed signs of marked follicular hyperplasia with follicles surrounded by eosinophils and lymphocytes, was located within the soft palate. Kimura’s disease was diagnosed after histopathologic examination of the resected tissue. The etiology of Kimura’s disease is not fully understood. One current model includes T-cells involvement with cytokines also playing a role. The patient was without evidence for recurrence of partially resected area 6 mo later. This report shows that Kimura’s disease is not limited to the head, neck, and salivary gland lymph nodes. We present a case of a tumor in soft palate. This location adds another possible site for consideration during the differential diagnoses of a slowly growing mass. CONCLUSION: The present case illustrates a characteristic description of Kimura’s disease. This case highlights the main differences between Kimura’s disease and angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia.