Course: Soft Palate Ulcer—Benign or Malignant?
CME Credits: 1.00
Released: 2021-08-12
A 71-year-old man with a history of rheumatoid arthritis and type 2 diabetes presented to the otolaryngology team with 6 weeks’ history of pain and ulcers in the pharynx. He also complained of nasal regurgitation. He denied having any systemic symptoms. He took linagliptin, valsartan, and 15 mg of methotrexate weekly. He was a nonsmoker and consumed very little alcohol.
Clinical examination including flexible nasendoscopy revealed multiple shallow ulcers on the posterior wall of the nasopharynx. There was a large defect involving the entire soft palate on the left. There was no obvious mass or any exophytic lesion. The edges of the soft palate defect were smooth and clean (). There were no cranial nerve palsies. There was no cervical, axillary, or inguinal lymphadenopathy. Findings of the remaining head and neck examinations were normal.
Educational Objective
Based on this clinical scenario and the accompanying image, understand how to arrive at a correct diagnosis.
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