Glomus tumours of the Hand in Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Glomus tumours of the hand are uncommon intriguing tumours which cause significant morbidity. Few reports have documented the epidemiology and presentation in the West African subregion. The aim of this review is to identify the common baseline demographics, the presentation, evaluation, diagnosis and treatment outcome of glomus tumours of the hand in Lagos, Nigeria Methods: A 10 year retrospective review of the records of all patients seen with histopathologically diagnosed glomus tumor of the hand at the Lagos University teaching hospital was carried out noting the biodata, demographics, method of presentation and treatment of this condition. Results: 11 patients were seen over the study period .There were nine females and 2 males seen. The mean age of the patients was 41 years. The symptoms had been on for between 3 and 40 months .All patients seen had a positive Love test. Only one patient had associated bony erosion. All had complete excision with no recurrence at 6 months Conclusion: Glomus tumor of the hand is an uncommon tumour often occurring in adult women. Clinical test (Love “test”) will correctly identify the diagnosis. Surgical treatment was curative in all our cases. High index of suspicion is needed to make earlier diagnosis.