Dermatology: Practical and Conceptual


318 Letter  |  Dermatol Pract Concept 2019;9(4):19

Dermatology Practical & Conceptual

Introduction

First defined in 1812 by Wood, glomus tumors were known 

as “painful subcutaneous tubercles.” They commonly occur 

in middle-aged women and by the fifth decade in men. 

They are known as uncommon benign neuromyoarterial 

neoplasms that usually occur in the subungual region of the 

finger. Extradigital location of glomus tumor is rare [1]: The 

forearm has been reported as the most common extradigital 

location. Palm, wrist, and foot could also be affected. It 

generally appears as a solitary, small, pinkish tumor, or as 

multiple ones. We present a case of glomus tumor located 

on the buttock.

Case Presentation

A 65-year-old man with a history of myocardial infarction 

presented with a small, painful nodule of the left buttock 

of 15 years’ duration. The patient reported intense pain 

at pressure and movement that had recently worsened, 

triggered by the slightest touch. Neither spontaneous pain 

nor cold sensitivity was reported. Examination revealed a 

well-defined, 7- × 7-mm, purple nodule on the upper exter-

nal quadrant of the left buttock (Figure 1). Polarized non-

contact dermoscopy (Figure 2A) showed a central purple 

color surrounded by a whitish area and an external brown 

pigmentation. The diagnosis of extradigital glomus tumor 

was suspected, and it was confirmed by histopathological 

analysis, which showed a proliferation of blood vessels 

surrounded by small, uniform cells with round or oval 

nuclei (glomus cells) (Figure 2B). The lesion was completely 

removed surgically.

Conclusion

The classic triad of symptoms of glomus tumor—pain, 

pinpoint tenderness, and cold hypersensitivity—is very sug-

gestive, but it may be incomplete as shown in our patient, 

leading to misdiagnosis. While described in a few cases, 

dermoscopic features may provide additional clues to the 

diagnosis: The central purple color corresponds to the 

enlarged vessels within the neuromyoarterial glomus body. 

The external whitish area is related to the fibrous capsule of 

the tumor, while the external brown pigmentation might be 

explained by its long course [2]. Specific imaging techniques 

are recommended, even though MRI could provide more 

details of the lesion and its association with the adjacent 

structures. Confirmation relies always on histopathological 

Glomus Tumor of the Buttock
Safa Idoudi1, Aycha Arousse1, Lobna Boussofara1

1 Dermatology Department, Farhat Hached University Hospital, Sousse, Tunisia

Key words: glomus tumor, dermoscopy, dermatology, tumor

Citation: Idoudi S, Arousse A, Boussofara L. Glomus tumor of the buttock. Dermatol Pract Concept. 2019;9(4):318-319. DOI: https://doi.
org/10.5826/dpc.0904a19

Accepted: July 16, 2019; Published: October 31, 2019

Copyright: ©2019 Idoudi et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, 
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Funding: None.

Competing interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Authorship: All authors have contributed significantly to this publication.

Corresponding author: Lobna Boussofara, MD, Dermatology Department, Farhat Hached University Hospital, Ibn Jazzar Avenue, 4000 
Sousse, Tunisia. Email: boussofara_l@yahoo.fr



Letter  |  Dermatol Pract Concept 2019;9(4):19 319

References

1. Lee DW, Yang JH, Chang S, et  al. Clinical and pathological 

characteristics of extradigital and digital glomus tumours: a 

retrospective comparative study. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 

2011;25(12):1392-1397.

2. Oliveira A. Dermoscopy in the diagnosis of extradigital glomus 

tumors. Int J Dermatol. 2016;55(9):e506-e508.

findings showing an encapsulated fibrous tumor, with vas-

cular spaces surrounded by glomus cells. Surgical excision 

remains the only therapeutic option that provides immediate 

pain relief. It consists of wide excision of the tumor to avoid 

its recurrence. At the time of the present report, the patient 

continued dermatological follow-up and no recurrence 

was noted.

Figure 1. Purple nodule of the upper 

external quadrant of the left buttock. 

[Copyright: ©2019 Idoudi et al.]

Figure 2. (A) Polarized noncontact dermoscopy showed a central purple color surrounded by a 

whitish area and an external brown pigmentation. (B) Histopathological analysis showed pro-

liferation of blood vessels surrounded by small, uniform cells with round or oval nuclei (glomus 

cells). [Copyright: ©2019 Idoudi et al.]

A B