Enormous glomus tumor of the shoulder

Glomus Tumor: "A-Not-So-Rare" Cause of Chronic Shoulder Pain-A Case Report and Literature Review

Case

A 61-year-old male presented with chronic shoulder pain resistant to conservative treatment. Imaging identified a nodular lesion in the deltoid muscle, which histology after resection identified as a glomus tumor. After surgery, the patient became asymptomatic and at 4-year follow-up has not shown signs of recurrence.

Conclusion

Glomus tumors around the shoulder should be considered when investigating chronic shoulder pain, as they are more common than thought. Despite being elusive, when diagnosed, excellent outcomes may be expected, with surgery resection being curative.

Chronic Long Standing Shoulder Pain, Caused by Glomus Tumor

Chronic shoulder pain can be caused by muscle, bone and joint inflammatory and tumoral lesions; however, chronic shoulder pain secondary to benign vascular tumor called glomus tumor is an extremely rare occurrence. To the best of our knowledge less than 15 cases of chronic shoulder pain have been reported secondary to glomus tumor. Herein we report our experience with a young lady who presented with chronic shoulder pain which turned out to be caused by a soft tissue glomus tumor. This case has also been unique because if its large size (about 5 cm in greatest diameter).

Glomus tumor of the shoulder: A case report and review of the literature

Glomus tumors are benign neoplasms that arise from neuromyoarterial glomus bodies, with clinical manifestations that include acute pain, cold intolerance and tenderness. Glomus tumors may occur anywhere in the skin, soft tissue or gastrointestinal tract, but are most frequently encountered in the nail bed of the hands. The present study reports the case of a 30-year-old female with a history of shoulder pain caused by a cystic neoformation. Following surgery, a microscopic examination revealed nests of small cells of a rounded and regular shape. The tumor cells exhibited positive expression for CD34 and smooth muscle actin. This study supports and confirms the fact that a glomus tumor is a benign neoplasm that may occur in multiple locations. Therefore, the significance of a histological and immunohistochemical approach for a correct characterization of this lesion is required.

Calcified glomus tumor of the shoulder. A case report

The authors report a case of calcified glomus tumor of the shoulder in a 54-year-old woman. The nonspecific clinical findings and the noncharacteristic imaging results made diagnosis of this tumor impossible before surgery. The diagnosis was confirmed by a biopsy. The outcome after surgical resection was excellent.

Intraosseous glomus tumor in acromion process of scapula

A 25-year-old woman presented with a 5-year history of left shoulder pain, which was constant dull aching in nature, non-radiating with no relieving or aggravating factors and no seasonal variation, gradually increasing in intensity over years. There was no history of trauma or constitutional symptoms. the patient had taken anti-tubercular drugs for 6 months for this pain with no relief. There was point tenderness over the left acromion process. Local temperature was not raised. Movements of the left shoulder were not effected. All routine hematological investigations were normal. Surgical exploration of the lesion revealed a normal soft tissue periosteum and cortex. On removing the cortical bone a red colored jellified tissue was isolated and thoroughly curetted. Histopathology revealed intraosseous glomus tumor. The patient became pain free immediately postoperatively and continued to be symptom free at 24-month follow-up. Glomus tumor located within bone is rare. Only 22 cases of primary intraosseous glomus tumor have been reported in world literature. Glomus tumors are generally treated by meticulously shelling out the entire lesion. Recurrence of symptoms and the need for reoperation have been reported between 12% and 24%. Most authors assume the recurrence is due to inadequate excision, prompting some to recommend more extensive en bloc excision. Tuberculosis being endemic in this region, antituberculer chemotherapy is generally started on clinical suspicion and tissue diagnosis is only attempted in nonresponders. This case however re-emphasizes the value of tissue diagnosis especially when a lesion is at an unusual site like the acromion process.