Follicular lymphoid hyperplasia of the palate: report of a case and review of the literature.

The follicular lymphoid hyperplasia of the palate is a very rare benign lymphoproliferative lesion that closely resembles lymphomas, clinically or histopathologically or both. A case of follicular lymphoid hyperplasia of the palate is reported. Clinically, the lesion presented as a firm, painless, nonulcerated, nonfluctuant and slowly growing swelling on one side of the palate. The biopsy showed the typical histologic features: multiple germinal centers with a rim of well-differentiated B lymphocytes together with a mixed, mainly mononuclear infiltrate with many plasmacytoid lymphocytes. The clinicopathologic features are described and integrated into a review of the 19 previously recorded cases. The diagnosis of a follicular lymphoid hyperplasia should always be considered in cases of palatal swelling.