Glomus Tumour of the Lip Mimicking Squamous Cell Carcinoma - A Rare Case Report

Abstract

Glomus tumour is a rare soft tissue neoplasm arising from glomus body, which is in an arteriovenous anastomosis located particularly in the dermis. This tumour occurs most commonly in hands and feet, and is seldom found in other sites. The purpose of this report is to describe an unusual case of glomus tumour in the lip. A 17-year-old woman with a firm, painless and ulcerated lump in her lower lip was admitted to our clinic. Excisional biopsy was performed, and histopathological analysis revealed the lesion to be a subtype of glomus tumour called as a glomangioma. Most glomus tumours are benign and may be treated by simple surgical excision. A typical glomus tumour of the hand is readily diagnosed, but it may occur anywhere such as oral cavity or internal organs, and its small size and atypical anatomical site presents a diagnostic dilemma. Therefore, a glomus tumour should be considered in the differential diagnosis of mass in the lips. Glomus tumour was first mentioned by Wood as a painful subcutaneous tubercle.1,2 It is classified as a pericystic (perivascular) tumour by the World Health Organization. Perivascular tumours are most frequently noticed in the superficial soft tissues at any age and are not seen commonly in the oral cavity. Synonyms for glomus tumour include glomangioma, glomangiomyoma, glomangiomatosis, glomangiopericytoma, and Popoff tumour. 3 Glomus tumour is presumed to arise from glomus body, which may be defined as a special arteriovenous anastomosis located in the stratum reticular of the dermis. It is lined by smooth muscle and glomus cells.4 The glomus body has been implicated in playing a role in thermal regulation.5 It is ubiquitous but digits are the most common sites. Clinically, the lesion is usually seen as a painful nodule located in the nail bed of the distal phalanges. Occurrence in the oral cavity is particularly rare. In this article, we present a rare case of glomus tumour located in the lower lip mimicking a malignant tumour.