Two Cases of Syphilis Presenting with the Chief Complaint of Cervical Mass

Abstract

　Syphilis, caused by Treponema pallidum, is a sexually transmitted infection. Syphilitic lesions of the stomatopharyngeal membrane are relatively easy to distinguish from those associated with other diseases due to their characteristic features. However, there are some cases in which the typical findings are not seen. Especially in cases in which antibiotics have already been administered, the condition may become asymptomatic even prior to being diagnosed as syphilis. We encountered two cases of syphilis in which the patients presented with the chief complaint of a cervical mass. Both cases lacked the mucosal lesions characteristic of syphilis. In Japan, the incidence of syphilis has been rising rapidly since 2013. Thus, syphilis is not a disease of the past. Otolaryngologists need to consider syphilitic lymphadenitis in the differential diagnosis of cervical masses.