Reappearance of a glomus tumor of the finger after nine years- A rare case report and literature review

Abstract

Background: Glomus tumors are benign and seldom seen. They arise from the glomus body. They account for 1–6% of all soft tissue tumors in the upper extremity specially hand. Due to a lack of awareness of this entity, and their non-obvious location, the diagnosis is delayed frequently. Case report: We present a case of an adult male, where the glomus tumor of the distal phalanx of the left middle finger reappeared after nine years of the first surgery. The patient got complete symptomatic relief after an excisional biopsy of the tumor. Conclusion: Recurrence of tumor may occur after in some cases, after surgical excision, mostly within one year of the surgery and the late recurrence is highly uncommon. A complete removal is the treatment of choice in symptomatic cases, and the transungual approach provides the best access for its removal if located under the nail bed of the finger. Awareness about this entity and a high index of suspicion are mandatory for an early diagnosis.

Keywords

• Glomus tumour
• Hand
• Finger
• Nail
• Recurrence