A Giant Nodule of the Soft Palate Mimicking a Tumor: A Case of Oropharyngeal Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis . According to the World Health Organization, tuberculosis is the leading cause of death by an infectious disease worldwide. We describe here a rare case of tuberculosis that presented as a giant nodule of the soft palate mimicking a tumor. A 50-year-old man was admitted to the oral and facial surgery department for odynophagia and nocturnal snoring. The clinical examination of the oral cavity revealed a mass on the right side of the soft palate, pushing back the uvula on the left, measuring 3 cm in length, nodular in appearance, hard to palpate, and painless with no inflammatory sign of the mucosa opposite. A contrast-injected cervicofacial scan and magnetic resonance imaging were requested that showed a heterogeneous mass on the right side of the soft palate. The therapeutic decision was to perform a biopsy under general anaesthesia, with a histopathological study of the mass. Intraoperatively, the mass was detachable and completely removable. The definite histopathological examination of the surgical specimen was in favour of tuberculosis of the soft palate.