Benign Granular Cell Tumor of the Vulva: First Report of Multiple Cases in a Family

• Published in: Gynecologic and obstetric investigation Vol. 73; no. 4; pp. 341 - 348
• Main Authors: Kardhashi, Anila, Deliso, Maria Assunta, Renna, Alessandra, Trojano, Giuseppe, Zito, Francesco Alfredo, Trojano, Vito
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel, Switzerland S. Karger AG 01.01.2012
• Subjects: Adult; Female; Granular Cell Tumor - genetics; Granular Cell Tumor - pathology; Granular Cell Tumor - surgery; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; MEDLINE; Middle Aged; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local - diagnosis; Novel Insights from Clinical Practice; S100 Proteins - analysis; Vulvar Neoplasms - genetics; Vulvar Neoplasms - pathology; Vulvar Neoplasms - surgery; Case report; Familial cases; Granular cell myoblastoma; Literature review; Vulva; Granular cell tumor; Abrikossoff tumor
• ISSN: 0378-7346; 1423-002X
• DOI: 10.1159/000336256

Granular cell tumors (GCTs) are uncommon soft tissue tumors of neural derivation, as supported by immunohistochemical and ultrastructural evidence. Vulvar involvement has been reported in 7–16%. This paper presents the cases of a 60-year-old woman and her 32-year-old niece with a strong family history of cancer, both presenting with an enlarging mass on their left labia majora. The lesions were treated by simple surgical excision. Histopathological examination revealed a benign vulvar GCT in both lesions. This is the first reported case of GCT of the vulva in the same family. The possible familial component of GCT needs further investigation. A systematic review of the literature on vulvar GCTs is carried out, the most complete one to date. This review unexpectedly reveals that there have been more than 130 cases of GCT of the vulva reported to date, only 7 of which were malignant. Since 5–25% of patients have multiple lesions, before planning treatment, clinicians should exclude multicentric lesions. After surgical treatment, if there is any evidence of tumor in the surgical margin, wider local excision should be performed. Regular follow-up is important for diagnosing a possible recurrence or a new lesion.