Glomus Tumors: A Systematic Review of the Sub-Saharan Africa Experience

Background:. Glomus tumors are rare benign tumors that were first described in 1812 by Wood. They arise from normal glomus apparatus, usually located in the reticular dermis of the body. Although glomus tumors are universal in occurrence, the sub-Saharan Africa experience has not been well documente...

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Main Authors: Peter M. Nthumba, MD, Leahcaren Naguria Oundoh, MD
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer 2024-02-01
Series:Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Global Open
Online Access:http://journals.lww.com/prsgo/fulltext/10.1097/GOX.0000000000005564
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author Peter M. Nthumba, MD
Leahcaren Naguria Oundoh, MD
author_facet Peter M. Nthumba, MD
Leahcaren Naguria Oundoh, MD
author_sort Peter M. Nthumba, MD
collection DOAJ
description Background:. Glomus tumors are rare benign tumors that were first described in 1812 by Wood. They arise from normal glomus apparatus, usually located in the reticular dermis of the body. Although glomus tumors are universal in occurrence, the sub-Saharan Africa experience has not been well documented. Methods:. The authors performed a systematic literature review of eligible studies between 1960 and August 2023, using the terms “glomus,” “tumor,” “glomangioma,” “glomangiomyoma,” and “Africa.” We also performed a search of the AIC Kijabe Hospital pathology department database of about 140,000 records, covering 30 years, for the terms “glomus tumor,” “glomangioma” and “glomangiomyoma.” Results:. The systematic literature search and institutional database search produced a total of 74 patients who had glomus tumors. These patients had a lag of between 3 months and 20 years from symptom development to definitive treatment. Conclusions:. There are very few reports of glomus tumors from sub-Saharan Africa in the current literature: the authors’ histopathology database of 140,000 specimens had 46 glomus tumors (0.03%), and only 28 additional patients were found in literature from sub-Saharan Africa. The low numbers of African patients may indicate racial differences in the occurrence of glomus tumors, although this may also be due to failure of clinicians to recognize glomus tumors. The prolonged lag period between symptom development and definitive treatment for glomus tumors indicates the need for diligence in the diagnosis and treatment of a simple problem that is otherwise the cause of incapacitating pain and misery.
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spelling doaj.art-f5dcb24384a1434c95fb7ba4d0e0542d2024-02-28T06:48:00ZengWolters KluwerPlastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Global Open2169-75742024-02-01122e556410.1097/GOX.0000000000005564202402000-00002Glomus Tumors: A Systematic Review of the Sub-Saharan Africa ExperiencePeter M. Nthumba, MD0Leahcaren Naguria Oundoh, MD1From the * AIC Kijabe Hospital, Kijabe, KenyaFrom the * AIC Kijabe Hospital, Kijabe, KenyaBackground:. Glomus tumors are rare benign tumors that were first described in 1812 by Wood. They arise from normal glomus apparatus, usually located in the reticular dermis of the body. Although glomus tumors are universal in occurrence, the sub-Saharan Africa experience has not been well documented. Methods:. The authors performed a systematic literature review of eligible studies between 1960 and August 2023, using the terms “glomus,” “tumor,” “glomangioma,” “glomangiomyoma,” and “Africa.” We also performed a search of the AIC Kijabe Hospital pathology department database of about 140,000 records, covering 30 years, for the terms “glomus tumor,” “glomangioma” and “glomangiomyoma.” Results:. The systematic literature search and institutional database search produced a total of 74 patients who had glomus tumors. These patients had a lag of between 3 months and 20 years from symptom development to definitive treatment. Conclusions:. There are very few reports of glomus tumors from sub-Saharan Africa in the current literature: the authors’ histopathology database of 140,000 specimens had 46 glomus tumors (0.03%), and only 28 additional patients were found in literature from sub-Saharan Africa. The low numbers of African patients may indicate racial differences in the occurrence of glomus tumors, although this may also be due to failure of clinicians to recognize glomus tumors. The prolonged lag period between symptom development and definitive treatment for glomus tumors indicates the need for diligence in the diagnosis and treatment of a simple problem that is otherwise the cause of incapacitating pain and misery.http://journals.lww.com/prsgo/fulltext/10.1097/GOX.0000000000005564
spellingShingle Peter M. Nthumba, MD
Leahcaren Naguria Oundoh, MD
Glomus Tumors: A Systematic Review of the Sub-Saharan Africa Experience
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Global Open
title Glomus Tumors: A Systematic Review of the Sub-Saharan Africa Experience
title_full Glomus Tumors: A Systematic Review of the Sub-Saharan Africa Experience
title_fullStr Glomus Tumors: A Systematic Review of the Sub-Saharan Africa Experience
title_full_unstemmed Glomus Tumors: A Systematic Review of the Sub-Saharan Africa Experience
title_short Glomus Tumors: A Systematic Review of the Sub-Saharan Africa Experience
title_sort glomus tumors a systematic review of the sub saharan africa experience
url http://journals.lww.com/prsgo/fulltext/10.1097/GOX.0000000000005564
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