Glomus tumor arising in a mature teratoma of the ovary: report of a case simulating a metastasis from cervical squamous carcinoma

Abstract

Glomus tumors involving the female genital tract are rare. Herein we report the case of a glomus tumor constituting the major component of a mature teratoma of the ovary. This lesion represented an incidental finding in a 43-year-old woman who underwent bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy at the time of detection of locally recurrent squamous carcinoma of the cervix. The glomus tumor was initially interpreted as a metastasis due to its superficial morphologic resemblance to the recurrent carcinoma in the vagina. It was, however, morphologically similar to glomus tumors that classically arise in the extremities. The diagnosis was supported by immunohistochemistry and ultrastructural examination. To our knowledge, no similar tumor has been described in the ovary or in teratomas at any other site.