Rare presentation of a primary intraosseous glomus tumor in the humerus of a teenager

Kengo Kawaguchi; Kenichi Kohashi; Nokitaka Setsu; Koji Sagiyama; Makoto Endo; Takeshi Iwasaki; Yasuharu Nakashima; Yoshinao Oda

doi:10.1007/s00256-024-04604-8

Rare presentation of a primary intraosseous glomus tumor in the humerus of a teenager

Skeletal Radiol. 2024 Feb 1. doi: 10.1007/s00256-024-04604-8. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Kengo Kawaguchi^{1

2}, Kenichi Kohashi^{1

3}, Nokitaka Setsu^{2

4}, Koji Sagiyama⁵, Makoto Endo², Takeshi Iwasaki¹, Yasuharu Nakashima², Yoshinao Oda⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Anatomic Pathology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1, Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, 812-8582, Japan.
² Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1, Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, 812-8582, Japan.
³ Department of Pathology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan University, 1-4-3, Asahi-machi, Abeno-Ku, Osaka, 545-8585, Japan.
⁴ Department of Orthopedic Surgery, National Hospital Organization, Kyushu Cancer Center, 3-1-1, Notame, Minami-ku, Fukuoka, 811-1395, Japan.
⁵ Department of Clinical Radiology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, 812-8582, Japan.
⁶ Department of Anatomic Pathology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1, Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, 812-8582, Japan. oda.yoshinao.389@m.kyushu-u.ac.jp.

PMID: 38296855
DOI: 10.1007/s00256-024-04604-8

Abstract

A glomus tumor is a benign mesenchymal tumor comprised of cells that resemble the perivascular modified smooth muscle cells of the glomus body. Glomus tumors typically appear in the superficial lesions of the soft tissue in the extremities, such as the subungual region. However, their occurrence in the bone is rare, with only about 30 cases reported to date. Half of these cases involved the distal phalanges of the fingers or toes, with only three reported cases involving the long bones. Here, we present the first case, a primary glomus tumor in the humerus of a 14-year-old female. An osteolytic and cystic lesion was detected after a pathological fracture occurred during exercise. Despite the tumor's large size, no pathological findings indicated malignancy. The fracture healed through conservative treatment, while the tumor was effectively managed with curettage. Appropriate medical care can be provided to patients by focusing on pathological findings.

Keywords: Bone tumor; Glomus tumor; Humerus; Intraosseous origin; Teenager.