Glomus tumor of the upper lip

A case of glomus tumor of the upper lip in a 57-year-old Japanese male is described. The patient had a tender swelling of the upper lip, and this was completely excised. The lesion was found to be encapsulated by fibrous connective tissue and composed of blood capillaries surrounded by sheets of epitheloid cells. Immunohistochemical examination revealed that the neoplastic cells were positive for S-100 protein, vimentin, desmin and actin. Although the endothelial cells of blood capillaries in the tumor tissue were positive for factor VIII, no reaction product was found in the tumor cells. These results suggested that the tumor cells had characteristics of smooth muscle cells.