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Case Reports
. 2011:2011:371082.
doi: 10.1155/2011/371082. Epub 2011 Oct 29.

Glomus tumor of the stomach: a rare cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding

Enzo Fabrício Ribeiro Nascimento  1 , Fábio Piovezan Fonte, Roberta Laís Mendonça, Ronaldo Nonose, Carlos Alberto Fonte de Souza, Carlos Augusto Real Martinez
Affiliations
Case Reports

Glomus tumor of the stomach: a rare cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding

Enzo Fabrício Ribeiro Nascimento et al. Case Rep Surg. 2011.

Abstract

Introduction. Glomus tumors (GTs) are benign neoplasm originating from the glomus body, commonly described in subungual region. The involvement abdominal is rare. Our aim is to describe a case of glomus tumor of the stomach that presented upper gastrointestinal bleeding. A 34-year-old woman was admitted with upper gastrointestinal bleeding and underwent an upper endoscopy that showed bleeding arising from an ulcerated lesion, treated by sclerosis therapy. A new endoscopy confirmed a submucosal lesion in upper portion of the stomach. During the laparotomy, a tumor at the upper anterior wall of gastric body was found and resected by a vertical gastrectomy. The pathological exam revealed hyperplastic smooth muscle fibers of the muscularis propria of the stomach wall, surrounded by hyaline stroma. The immunohistochemistry panel was positive for smooth muscle actin and type IV collagen, with low rate of mitosis studied by Ki-67 which allowed the final diagnosis of a gastric glomus tumor. Discussion. The majority of intraperitoneal glomus tumors occur in the stomach, and it is phenotypically similar to those localized in peripheral sites. Gastric GT generally is a benign tumor although it can be malignant and have the potential to metastasize. Conclusion. Even though gastric glomus tumor is rarely described, it should be considered as a possible cause of a major upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Submucosal tumor with a central ulceration (arrow).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Glomus tumor of the stomach in a 34-year-old woman: on a contrast-enhanced computer tomography scan, the mass is greatly enhanced (arrows).
Figure 3
Figure 3
(a) The mass localized on anterior gastric wall with exuberant vascularization on serous surface. (b) Vertical gastrectomy along the great curvature.
Figure 4
Figure 4
(a) Sheets of glomus cells with eosinophilic cytoplasm distributed around dilated blood vessels with stasis (H.E. ×1000). (b) Glomus tumor of the stomach. Positive staining for type IV Collagen (×1000).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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