[Tumors and tumor-like lesions of the hand]

Between 1967 and 1976, 269 tumors of the hand were treated. Among the 56 epithelial tumors the malignant ones played the dominant role whereas they are seldom found in those of soft tissue and osseous skeleton. From the tumors of the hand the "tumorlike lesions" have to be separed according to the recommendations of the World Health Organisation in 1969. In the epithelium the most frequent ones are the verruca vulgaris, the verruca plana, the atheroma, the molluscum contagiosum and the mucoid epithelial cyst. In the soft tissues most common are ganglion, traumatic neuroma, nodular tenosynovitis, giant cell tumor of synovium, hygroma, foreign body granuloma and other inflammatory or metabolic alterations, as for example on the basis of degenerative arthritis or primary chronic polyarthritis. Dupuytren's contracture and keloid are also considered "tumorlike lesions" within the frame of fibromatosis. The osseous skeleton is included in the so-called solitary bone cysts.