I have a cauliflower-like bump on my tongue and it does not hurt. Is it a wart?

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Thanks for sending a detailed history. The picture you have sent is not focussed on the lesion (attachment removed to protect patient identity) and I would request you to resend a more clear photo of the same using the back camera of the cell phone so that the clarity is better. With what I could see, it does look like a wart to me over the dorsum of the tongue. Most of these are warts are HPV (human papillomavirus) related and are benign in nature. The taste buds around it give it a very confusing appearance, but if your able to differentiate it as a cauliflower-like surface which stands out from the surrounding tissue, it is mostly a wart. There is absolutely nothing that you need to worry about as this is treatable. It does not have a very high malignant potential even if you happen to keep it and the only way to remove it is by excising the entire tissue off to prevent any recurrence of the lesion. Please do send me a picture as requested above in the free follow up provided so that I am certain that it is a wart and nothing else. I hope this helps.

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

Thanks for providing a clear photo (attachment removed to protect aptient identity). Yes, it does look like a wart and it is better removed whenever you are comfortable. It is not an emergency nor there is anything that you need to be worried about as this has very little potential to turn into a malignancy. Owing to its relation to HPV, we usually remove the lesion (it will take 5 to 10 minutes depending to the expertise of the surgeon) under local anesthesia and you will be fine and resume your work two to three hours post removal. I hope this helps.