Glomus tumor
hemangiopericytic tumor that is a mesenchymal neoplasm composed of cells that closely resemble the modified smooth muscle cells of the normal glomus body
Glomus tumor was also the name formerly (and incorrectly) used for a tumor now called a paraganglioma.
A glomus tumor (also known as a "solitary glomus tumor") is a rare neoplasm arising from the glomus body and mainly found under the nail, on the fingertip or in the foot. They account for less than 2% of all soft tissue tumors. The majority of glomus tumors are benign, but they can also show malignant features. Glomus tumors were first described by Hoyer in 1877 while the first complete clinical description was given by Masson in 1924.
Histologically, glomus tumors are made up of an afferent arteriole, anastomotic vessel, and collecting venule. Glomus tumors are modified smooth muscle cells that control the thermoregulatory function of dermal glomus bodies. As stated above, these lesions should not be confused with paragangliomas, which were formerly also called glomus tumors in now-antiquated clinical usage. Paragangliomas do not arise from glomus cells, but glomus tumors do.
Familial glomangiomas have been associated with a variety of deletions in the GLMN (glomulin) gene, and are inherited in an autosomal dominant manner, with incomplete penetrance.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Glomus tumor” as hemangiopericytic tumor that is a mesenchymal neoplasm composed of cells that closely resemble the modified smooth muscle cells of the normal glomus body. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
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Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 24, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q4139987. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1877 and 1924.
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This entry incorporates text from “Glomus tumor” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.