This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Most recurrences of glomus tumors occurred up to 10 years after excision
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
BERLIN — Glomus tumors of the hand treated by local excision by a hand surgeon at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre proved to be challenging to treat and keep from recurring. The patient with the longest follow-up in the series has been followed up for 40 years.
Veronique Spiteri, of Kettering General Hospital in Kettering, United Kingdom, presented the results of cases of these benign lesions in the hand that Michelle Spiteri, of the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Oxford, United Kingdom, treated as early as 1971 and as recently as 2011.
The entire series involved 61 patients, and most of whom were women, Spiteri said.
“These lesions are difficult to diagnose” and they can be disabling, she said a presentation at the 13th EFORT 2012 Congress, here.
In 16 cases, the tumor recurred at between 1 year and 10 years of initial treatment with excision. The senior investigator’s experience indicates that if there is a high level of suspicion that an upper extremity or hand mass is a glomus tumor, “an MRI with help investigate it,” she said, noting this tumor should be excised by a specialized, not an “occasional” hand surgeon.
Reference:
- Spiteri M, Spiteri V. Glomus tumours in the hand. Paper #12-5723. Presented at the 13th EFORT Congress 2012. May 23-25. Berlin.
- Disclosure: Spiteri has no relevant financial disclosures.