Papilloma (patient information)

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 * Associate Editor-In-Chief: Jinhui Wu, M.D.

Overview
Papillomas are benign tumours that are located in the epithelium. There are all kinds of papilloma in the body, such as skin papilloma, genital wart, bladder papilloma and larynx papilloma, etc. The causes of papilloma are unknown. Usual signs and symptoms vary widely. They depend on the size, the location of the tumors. For example, a small papilloma may not cause any symptom and biger one may cause obvious signs. For instance, papilloma in larynx may cayse hoarseness, cough and shortness of breath. Symptoms of papilloma in breast may be bloody nipple discharge, pain and lump in breast. Vulvar papilloma may cause itching, lump or ulcer even infection in vulva. Biopsy is the most valuable test to tell whether the lump is benign or cancerous. Other techniques, including the collection of blood and urine samples, ultrasound, computed tomography (CT) scanning, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may also be helpful. Surgery is recommended for the treatment of papilloma. For small papillomas, regular examination is needed.