A Rare Case of Glomus Tumor on the Mucosal Surface of Lower Lip.

Sara Naji Rad,Samira Najirad,Rana Rafiei

doi:10.1177/2324709620936159

Abstract

Glomus tumors are mesenchymal neoplasms derived from glomus bodies with rare presentations in the oral cavity. Glomus tumors present as a purple or pink vascular nodule or papule, sized <1 cm, and imitate vascular neoplasms such as hemangiopericytoma or hemangioma. Glomus tumors represent less than 2% of all benign soft tissue tumors. Only 27 cases of benign glomus tumors with oral cavity involvement have been reported to date. The most-reported oral tumors involved the lips (54.2%), followed by hard palate, gingiva, tongue, and buccal mucosa. The mean age of presentation of the labial glomus tumors is 48.7 years, with no gender predilection, in contrast to the subungual site, which occurs more in females. The etiology of the glomus tumors remains unknown. Subungual glomus tumors present as stabbing pain, cold intolerance, and tenderness of the fingertips, whereas labial glomus tumors mostly present as a painless, small, and slow-growing lesion. Treatment is surgical resection of the tumor. The recurrence rate of labial glomus tumors is unclear. In this article, we present the case of a 62-year-old man with a 2-month history of painless, soft lump on the mucosal surface of the lower left lip. Excisional resection of the tumor was performed in the clinic, and the histopathologic finding was consistent with solid glomus tumor. At 1 year follow-up there was no recurrence.

Highlights

Glomus tumors are mesenchymal neoplasms derived from glomus bodies
Glomus tumors are rare mesenchymal neoplasm, which usually present in subungual areas of the toes and fingers
Labial glomus tumors have different clinical presentations compared to subungual glomus tumors

Summary

Introduction

Glomus tumors are mesenchymal neoplasms derived from glomus bodies. The glomus bodies are located between the venous and arterial systems in the subungual dermis of the digits.[1]. In 1924, Masson published his findings that revealed that glomus tumors are histologically similar to smooth muscle cells of the normal glomus bodies. A 62-year-old man presented to the dental clinic with a 2-month history of painless, round, and nonerosive lump on the inner surface of the lower left lip. The patient reported that he first noticed a small lump on the lip, which gradually increased in size up to 1 cm He denied any history of trauma, ulceration, drainage, and bleeding. The remainder of the physical examination and review of systems were unremarkable His past medical history included diabetes mellitus type 2. He was a former smoker, half a pack per day for 12 years. The patient followed up with us after 1 year and there was no recurrence of the tumor

Discussion

Findings

Conclusion