Glomangiosarcoma of the hand: a case report and review of the literature

J Dermatol. 2003 Nov;30(11):827-33. doi: 10.1111/j.1346-8138.2003.tb00486.x.

Abstract

Glomangiosarcomas, or malignant glomus tumors, are very rare, cutaneous, soft tissue tumors. Despite having histologic features of malignancy, these tumors usually do not metastasize. We describe a 74-year-old woman with a glomangiosarcoma on her hand and review the literature. The woman presented with a five month history of a painful mass on the right palm. An excisional biopsy of the mass was undertaken. Histologically, the tumor was composed of uniform, round cells and numerous vascular components. The tumor cells were pleomorphic and had large nucleoli. Frequent mitotic figures were identified. Immunohistochemical stains showed strong positivity for vimentin and weak, focal positivity for smooth muscle actin. Ultrastructurally, the tumor cells were characterized by pinocytic vesicles, well formed basal lamina, and scattered junctional complex of the plasma membrane.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Female
  • Glomus Tumor / diagnosis*
  • Glomus Tumor / pathology
  • Glomus Tumor / surgery
  • Hand*
  • Humans
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Skin Neoplasms / diagnosis*
  • Skin Neoplasms / pathology
  • Skin Neoplasms / surgery