[Solitary glomus tumors of the hand. A clinico-pathologic evaluation study]

The incidence of recurrence following surgical treatment of solitary tumours of the hand ranges from 12% to 50%. Examination of the reports in the literature reveals that different methods of histological typing have been used and that most of the publications available are case reports or refer to studies of small numbers of patients, so that direct adequate comparison of the rates in the literature is not possible. In an attempt to find out the reasons for local recurrence of retrospective clinicopathological study was performed. All histological specimens examined within one decade were analysed. The tumours they were taken from included 46 glomus tumours (female: male ratio 28:18, age range 9-82, average 52.3 years) of different locations, 30 of them affecting the upper extremity. We had operated on 13 solitary, digitopalmar glomus tumours (8 vascular type, 3 epitheloid solit type, 1 myxoid, 1 neural) in our institution, in most cases with the aid of either a magnifying lens or an operating microscope. The mean follow-up period was 76 months, and we had no recurrences. Therefore, we conclude that regardless of the histological type, optical magnification during surgical resection of solitary glomus tumours of the hand prevents recurrences. In our opinion, early recurrences are due to incomplete excision of tumours of the types mentioned above or to misdiagnosis because of the multiple forms of glomus tumours that can occur, especially during childhood.