Glomus Tumor - A Delayed Diagnosis, Yet Simple Cure: Case Reports

Glomus tumors are rare soft-tissue neoplasms that constitute 2% of all soft-tissue tumors in the extremities. They are painful lesions that can impair quality of life. Diagnosis is often delayed as they can easily be confused with more common pathologies. They are best diagnosed through MRI scan or ultrasonography of the concerned digit. We present two cases in this article, one of a subungual glomus tumor of the great toe (Hallux) and one of the index finger. Both tumors had a delay in diagnosis as this tumor cannot easily be diagnosed through simple radiographs. They showed classical clinical symptoms.Both were eventually diagnosed on MRI scan. Surgical excision is the gold standard in treatment of subungual glomus tumors and is also curative. We used a transungual approach for the hallux and a lateral subperiosteal approach for the index finger. In conclusion, glomus tumors are rare, benign tumors that commonly occur in the sub-ungual region. High clinical suspicion is important for clinical diagnosis. MRI scan and ultrasound can diagnose the tumor and yield information about local spread. Surgical excision is usually curative with approximately 10% chance of recurrence and rare chance of malignant transformation