Tertiary Syphilis Masquerading as Oropharyngeal Cancer

Syphilis is re-emerging in the United States. Treponema pallidum, the spirochete bacterium responsible for syphilis, has immunoevasive properties that facilitate pathogenesis and widespread tissue involvement. Host immune status, particularly the presence of HIV/AIDS, can influence the presentation...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) CA), 2022-09, Vol.14 (9)
Main Authors: Christmann, Caroline R, Figg, Wesley D, Chatterjee, Ritodhi, Lavere, Philip F, Mehta, Niraj
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome
AIDS
Case reports
Cytomegalovirus
HIV
HIV/AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus
Hyperplasia
Infections
Infectious Disease
Internal Medicine
Lymphatic system
Patients
Syphilis
Throat cancer
Tongue
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Summary:Syphilis is re-emerging in the United States. Treponema pallidum, the spirochete bacterium responsible for syphilis, has immunoevasive properties that facilitate pathogenesis and widespread tissue involvement. Host immune status, particularly the presence of HIV/AIDS, can influence the presentation and severity of the disease. Patients co-infected with HIV and syphilis may develop atypical lesions, including those involving the oropharynx. Any immunocompromised patient with tongue lesions and lymphadenopathy is presumed to have a wide differential diagnosis, and tissue sampling with histopathologic analysis is indicated. We present a patient with gumma of the tongue as the initial manifestation of tertiary syphilis.
ISSN:2168-8184
2168-8184
DOI:10.7759/cureus.28912