All the details about epithelial papilloma are here!

Epithelial papilloma is one of the more common diseases in life. It is often manifested as a high proliferation of epithelial tissue and the formation of connective tissue of papillary masses. It often occurs in the nasal cavity, external auditory canal, breast and other parts. Let us learn about it in detail.

1. Inverted papilloma of the nose

Inverted papilloma is one of the common benign tumors of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses. Most lesions are unilateral, and bilateral lesions are rare. The tumor of inverted papilloma is common in the nasal cavity, most often involving the lateral wall of the nasal cavity, followed by the maxillary sinus and ethmoid sinus, and less often involving the sphenoid sinus, frontal sinus and nasal septum. The vast majority of inverted papillomas arise from only one primary site. In the late stage, multiple sites are involved and it is often difficult to distinguish the primary site.

Patients often present with nasal congestion and nasal masses, which may be accompanied by runny nose, sometimes with blood, as well as head and facial pain and abnormal sense of smell. As the tumor expands and affects different parts of the body, corresponding symptoms and signs may appear. Examination showed that the tumor had a papillary appearance, with a granular and rough surface, pink in color, hard texture, and easy bleeding when touched. The lesion may originate from the sinus mucosa, prolapse forward into the nasal cavity, and extend backward to the nasopharynx and oropharynx.

2. External auditory canal papilloma

External auditory canal papilloma mostly occurs in the skin of the outer segment of the external auditory canal. It is one of the most common benign tumors of the external auditory canal and is the result of long-term stimulation and proliferation of its squamous cells or basal cells.

There are usually no symptoms in the early stages of the tumor, except for a feeling of blockage, itching, or hearing loss when the tumor fills the external auditory canal. People often bleed when digging their ears or dig out something like a piece of flesh. When accompanied by secondary infection, there may be ear pain and pus discharge. In the external auditory canal, single or multiple brown-yellow tumors of varying sizes, with rough and uneven surfaces, pedunculated or sessile, can be seen. They are hard to the touch and most have a broad base. Infected patients may experience congestion and swelling in a granuloma-like manner. People with local blood circulation disorders may have black spots and can partially fall off naturally. Rapidly proliferating tumors may invade the middle ear and mastoid.

3. Pharyngeal papilloma

Papilloma is a common benign tumor of the pharynx, mostly occurring in males and usually as a single tumor.

The tumors mostly occur in the palatine arch, tonsils, soft palate edge, and uvula, and are also seen on the back of the soft palate, the posterior wall of the hypopharynx, and the aryepiglottic folds. The surface of most tumors is sand-grained, small mushroom-shaped with a pedicle, and some are flat and mulberry-shaped without a pedicle and movable. They are light red or gray in color and soft in texture. The tumor is mostly a few millimeters in size, but some can reach several centimeters. Most patients have no subjective symptoms, or the symptoms are discovered during pharyngeal examination. A few may have dry throat, itching, foreign body sensation, etc. More serious ones may have swallowing and breathing discomfort or disorders. Most patients have a single lesion, but in children it can be diffuse or multiple.

4. Esophageal papilloma

Esophageal papilloma is a benign polyp-like tumor of the squamous epithelium. The incidence rate is 0.01% to 0.05%, and both men and women can suffer from the disease. Most of the patients are middle-aged and elderly people.

The disease has an insidious onset and nonspecific clinical manifestations, with the majority of symptoms being upper abdominal symptoms, such as retrosternal pain, dysphagia, heartburn, etc., as well as bloody stools and iron deficiency anemia. Few patients have vomiting as the main symptom, and patients often discover it accidentally during gastroscopy due to stomach diseases.

5. Intraductal papilloma

Intraductal papilloma of the breast refers to a benign tumor occurring in the ductal epithelium, and its incidence is second only to breast fibroadenoma and breast cancer. Intraductal papilloma is more common in postpartum women, mostly between the ages of 40 and 50. It is a common benign breast tumor in clinical practice.

The patient has a bloody, serous, or serous discharge from the nipple, which may be continuous or intermittent. Some patients experience discharge when squeezing their breasts, while others accidentally find discharge stains on their underwear or bras. Some patients may experience pain or inflammation. Because intraductal papilloma is small, in most cases no lump can be felt during clinical examination. In some central papillomas, nodular or cord-like lumps may be felt near the areola. The lumps are soft in texture and can produce fluid when lightly pressed.