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Definition
Glomus tumor is a rare mesenchymal lesion, first described by Paul Masson in 1924, derived from modified myoid cells of glomus body, an arteriovenous anastomosis of the dermis involved in thermoregulation and skin circulation. Glomus tumor refers to a spectrum of lesions that comprises solid benign glomus tumor, glomangioma, and glomangiomyoma on the basis of the proportion of the various components of the lesions, glomus cells, vascular structures, and smooth muscle cells. Usually the lesion is benign, even though glomus tumor with uncertain potential of malignancy and malignant glomus tumor are described (1% of all glomus tumors). The majority of the cases of glomus tumor are solitary and sporadic, while 10% are multiple and associate to mutation of glomulin gene (chromosome 1p21–22) or to neurofibromatosis (Dagur et al. 2016; Palmisano et al. 2018; Khalafalla et al. 2017; He et al. 2016; Szumilo et al. 2011).
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References and Further Reading
Dagur, G., Warren, K., Miao, Y., Singh, N., Suh, Y., & Khan, S. A. (2016). Unusual glomus tumor of the penis. Current Urology, 9(3), 113–118.
Folpe, A. L., Fanburg-Smith, J. C., Miettinen, M., & Weiss, S. W. (2001). Atypical and malignant glomus tumors: Analysis of 52 cases, with a proposal for the reclassification of glomus tumors. The American Journal of Surgical Pathology, 25(1), 1–12.
He, T., Hu, J., Jin, L. U., Li, Y., Liu, J., Ding, Y., & Lai, Y. (2016). Glomus tumor of the anterior urethra: A rare case report and review of the literature. Molecular and Clinical Oncology, 4(6), 1057–1059.
Khalafalla, K., Al-Ansari, A., Omran, A., Farghaly, H., & Alobaidy, A. (2017). Glomus tumor of the scrotum: A case report and mini-review. Current Urology, 10(4), 213–216.
Masson, P. (1924). Le glomus neuromyoarterial des regions tactiles et ses tumeurs. Lyon Chirurgical, 21, 257.
Palmisano, F., Gadda, F., Spinelli, M. G., Maggioni, M., Rocco, B., & Montanari, E. (2018). Symplastic glomus tumor of the urinary bladder treated by robot-assisted partial cystectomy: A case report and literature review. Urologia, 85(3), 130–132.
Szumilo, J., Fronczek, A., Lewkowicz, D., & Osemlak, P. (2011). Multiple glomangiomas involving the glans penis in pediatric patient. Journal of Lower Genital Tract Disease, 15(3), 250–253.
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Taverna, C., Franchi, A. (2019). Glomus Tumor. In: van Krieken, J. (eds) Encyclopedia of Pathology. Encyclopedia of Pathology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28845-1_5002-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28845-1_5002-1
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