Glomus tumor

Glomus tumors are usually solitary and small lesions. The vast majority are found in the hand, wrist, foot, and under the fingernails.

They are often painful, and the pain is reproduced when the lesion is placed in cold water - a history of sensitivity to cold weather is also common.{{cite journal |author1=Hazani, Ron |author2=Houle, John M |author3=Kazdan, Morton L |author4=Wilhelmi, Bradon J |title=Glomus Tumors of the Hand |journal= ePlasty|date=8 October 2008 |volume=8 |pages=e48 |pmid=18997858 |pmc=2567120}} Multiple tumors are less likely to be painful.

These tumors tend to have a bluish discoloration, although a whitish appearance may also be noted. Elevation of the nail bed can occur.

In rare cases, the tumors may present in other body areas, such as the gastric antrum or glans penis. Treatment is essentially the same.{{cite journal|last=Macaluso JN|first=Jr|author2=Sullivan, JW |author3=Tomberlin, S |title=Glomus tumor of glans penis.|journal=Urology|date=April 1985|volume=25|issue=4|pages=409–10|pmid=2984824|doi=10.1016/0090-4295(85)90503-5}}

Malignant glomus tumors, or glomangiosarcomas, are extremely rare and usually represent a locally infiltrative malignancy. However, metastases do occur and are usually fatal.

By histopathology, glomus tumors can be termed as follows:{{cite web|url=https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/softtissueglomus.html|title=Glomus tumor|first1=Farres|last1=Obeidin|first2=Borislav A.|last2=Alexiev|website=Pathology Outlines}} Last author update: 14 February 2022

• Solid glomus tumor (75% of cases): Consisting predominantly of glomus cells, with poor vasculature and rare smooth muscle cells.
• Glomangioma (20% of cases): Tumors with a prominent vascular component.
• Glomangiomyoma (5% of cases): Tumors with prominent vascular and smooth muscle components.

Cancerous glomus tumors are exceedingly rare. Criteria for the diagnosis of malignancy in glomus tumors are:{{cite journal|last=Folpe|first=AL|author2=Fanburg-Smith, JC |author3=Miettinen, M |author4= Weiss, SW |title=Atypical and malignant glomus tumors: analysis of 52 cases, with a proposal for the reclassification of glomus tumors.|journal=The American Journal of Surgical Pathology|date=January 2001|volume=25|issue=1|pages=1–12|pmid=11145243|doi=10.1097/00000478-200101000-00001|s2cid=36562180 }}

1. Tumor size of more than 2 centimeters and subfascial or visceral location.
2. Atypical mitotic figures.
3. Marked nuclear atypia and any level of mitotic activity.
4. * Pericytes of Zimmerman

Cancerous glomus tumors have been subdivided into three categories based on their histologic appearance: locally infiltrative glomus tumors (LIGT), glomangiosarcomas arising in benign glomus tumors (GABG), and glomangiosarcomas arising de novo (GADN).{{cite journal|last=Lamba|first=G|author2=Rafiyath, SM |author3=Kaur, H |author4=Khan, S |author5=Singh, P |author6=Hamilton, AM |author7= Ang, DC |title=Malignant glomus tumor of kidney: the first reported case and review of literature.|journal=Human Pathology|date=August 2011|volume=42|issue=8|pages=1200–3|pmid=21333326 |doi=10.1016/j.humpath.2010.11.009}}

A few cases of cancerous glomus tumors have been reported; however, they are usually only locally invasive, and metastases are exceedingly rare. There is one report of widespread metastases of a malignant glomus tumor involving the skin, lungs, jejunum, liver, spleen, and lymph nodes.{{cite journal|last=Brathwaite|first=CD|author2=Poppiti RJ, Jr|title=Malignant glomus tumor. A case report of widespread metastases in a patient with multiple glomus body hamartomas.|journal=The American Journal of Surgical Pathology|date=February 1996|volume=20|issue=2|pages=233–8|pmid=8554113|doi=10.1097/00000478-199602000-00012}} Another report of a malignant glomus tumor (glomangiosarcoma) with metastases from the skin.{{cite journal|last=Watanabe|first=K|author2=Hoshi, N |author3=Tsu-Ura, Y |author4= Suzuki, T |title=A case of glomangiosarcoma.|journal=Fukushima Journal of Medical Science|date=June 1995|volume=41|issue=1|pages=71–7|pmid=8606044}} A malignant glomus tumor one arose from the kidneys.

The probable misdiagnosis of many of these lesions as hemangiomas or venous malformations also makes an accurate assessment of incidence difficult.

File:2011 May Glomus Tumor Extraction Closeup.jpg

Surgical excision is the preferred treatment for benign glomus tumors.{{cite journal |vauthors=Kaylie DM, O'Malley M, Aulino JM, Jackson CG |title=Neurotologic surgery for glomus tumors |journal=Otolaryngol. Clin. North Am. |volume=40 |issue=3 |pages=625–649 |year=2007 |pmid=17544699 |doi=10.1016/j.otc.2007.03.009}}

The exact rate of glomus tumors is unknown. The multiple variant is rare, accounting for less than 10% of all cases.

Solitary glomus tumors, particularly subungual lesions, are more common in females than in males. Multiple lesions are slightly more common in males.

Solitary glomus tumors are more frequent in adults than in others. Multiple glomus tumors develop 11–15 years earlier than single lesions; about one third of the cases of multiple tumors occur in those younger than 20 years. Congenital glomus tumors are rare; they are plaguelike in appearance and are considered a variant of multiple glomus tumors.

• Coccygeal glomus
• List of cutaneous conditions
• Myopericytoma

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{{Medical resources

| DiseasesDB = 33480

| ICD10 = D18 (ILDS D18.011)

| ICD9 =

| ICDO = 8711/0

| OMIM = 138000

| MedlinePlus =

| eMedicineSubj = derm

| eMedicineTopic = 167

| MeshID = D005918

}}

• {{WhoNamedIt|synd|1584}}
• {{Chorus|00314}}

{{Skin tumors, dermis}}

Category:Dermal and subcutaneous growths

Category:Types of neoplasia

Category:Soft tissue tumor