A case of glomangiomyoma in the center of the upper lip

• Published in: Journal of Japan Society for Oral Tumors Vol. 26; no. 1; pp. 25 - 30
• Main Authors: Ohta, Takahisa, Sumi, Shigeki, Matsubara, Makoto, Motohoshi, Masayuki, Nagayama, Motohiko, Sumitomo, Shinichiro, Muramatsu, Yasunori, Tanuma, Jun-ichi, Shikimori, Michio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese; English
• Published: Japanese Society of Oral Oncology 15.03.2014
• Subjects: glomangiomyoma; glomus tumor; histology; immunohistochemical study; upper lip
• ISSN: 0915-5988; 1884-4995
• DOI: 10.5843/jsot.26.25

Glomangiomyoma is a subtype of glomus tumors, which usually occur in the subungual layer. Such tumors localized to the oral cavity are very rare, and are most commonly in the center of the upper lip. The clinical symptoms are solitary swelling without pain, and excision of the tumor is recommended for treatment. Recurrence is rare and the prognosis is good. A 61-year-old man was referred to the Department of Oral Surgery at our institution in March 2012 complaining of swelling of his upper lip. He had noticed the swelling two months earlier and had been left untreated. Intraoral examination revealed a marked small swelling without inflammatory symptoms in the center of the upper lip. The lesion was a well-defined submucosal mass. The size of the lesion was 5 mm and also showed mobility. One week later the lesion expanded rapidly. We performed imaging examination, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasonography (US). The lesion had developed in the submucosal layer of the upper lip and measured approximately 10 mm in size. A minor salivary gland tumor was suspected and excisional biopsy was performed. The mass was well circumscribed, was excised completely, and the surgical site was closed. The removed specimen was placed in 10% formalin and submitted for histological examination. Histological and immunohistochemical studies were performed, and a diagnosis of glomangiomyoma was made.