Benign Glomus Tumor of the Urinary Bladder: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Introduction: Glomus tumors (GT) are sporadic mesenchymal neoplasms found in adults, comprising less than 2% of soft tissue tumors. GT originates from glomocytes, which are modified vascular smooth muscle cells located in the walls of specialized structures of the glomus body—a neuromyoarterial ple...

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Main Authors: Lutfi Alia, Teona Bushati, Leart Berdica, Ledi Bardhi, Sergio A Tripodi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Albanian Society for Trauma and Emergency Surgery 2025-07-01
Series:Albanian Journal of Trauma and Emergency Surgery
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Online Access:https://journal.astes.org.al/AJTES/index.php/AJTES/article/view/470
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author Lutfi Alia
Teona Bushati
Leart Berdica
Ledi Bardhi
Sergio A Tripodi
author_facet Lutfi Alia
Teona Bushati
Leart Berdica
Ledi Bardhi
Sergio A Tripodi
author_sort Lutfi Alia
collection DOAJ
description Introduction: Glomus tumors (GT) are sporadic mesenchymal neoplasms found in adults, comprising less than 2% of soft tissue tumors. GT originates from glomocytes, which are modified vascular smooth muscle cells located in the walls of specialized structures of the glomus body—a neuromyoarterial plexus in the dermis of the skin that typically plays a role in thermoregulation. Most GTs are benign, though some cases exhibiting atypical or malignant behavior have been documented. GT usually occurs in the skin and superficial soft tissues, primarily in the extremities, especially beneath the nail bed, and rarely affects internal organs; however, those organs lack glomus bodies. The occurrence of GT in the urinary bladder, which does not contain glomus bodies, is an infrequent occurrence and has been reported sporadically. The gene implicated in the pathogenesis of bladder GT is the glomulin gene (GLMN), situated on chromosome arm 1p21-22. Multiple subungual granular tumors (GTs) have been reported in neurofibromatosis type 1, originating from a mutation in the NF1 gene.  The first case of benign GT of the urinary bladder was described by Tripodi SA et al. in 2013, while malignant GT of the urinary bladder was described by Shim HS et al. in 2005. Depending on the relative prominence of glomus cells, vascular structures, and smooth muscle, the  GTs are subcategorized: Solid histotype, Glomangioma, and Glomangiomyoma. In this study, we report a case of benign GT of the urinary bladder in a 63-year-old man presenting with recurrent hematuria of unknown etiology. The cystoscopy showed a polypoid lesion at the anterior wall of the urinary bladder. The transurethral resection was performed, and the lesion was easily removed. In the microscopic examination of the biopsy, the final pathological diagnosis was a benign glomus tumor of the urinary bladder – a solid histotype. After resection of GT, the patient was followed according to standard follow-up protocol for patients with bladder tumors. One year after resection, the patient was in good health, with no recurrence or metastasis, demonstrating the successful treatment and follow-up of this rare case. Conclusions: GTs arising in the bladder are extremely rare. It is challenging to diagnose bladder GTs based on their clinical features. The gold standard method for diagnosing GT is histopathological examination and immunohistochemical analysis. Transurethral resection is the most common treatment used for benign or atypical bladder GT. However, it should also be considered in the differential diagnosis for Bladder neoplasms.
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spelling doaj-art-88d8de03f0d04f9c8cc4642895149a332025-08-20T03:51:19ZengAlbanian Society for Trauma and Emergency SurgeryAlbanian Journal of Trauma and Emergency Surgery2521-87782616-49222025-07-019210.32391/ajtes.v9i2.470Benign Glomus Tumor of the Urinary Bladder: A Case Report and Literature Review.Lutfi Alia0Teona Bushati1Leart Berdica2Ledi Bardhi3Sergio A Tripodi4Centre of Oncological Prevention, Siena, ITALYDepartment of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine, Tirana, ALBANIA.Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine, Tirana, ALBANIA.Department of Pathology and Oncology, University of Siena, ITALYDepartment of Pathology and Oncology, University of Siena, ITALY Introduction: Glomus tumors (GT) are sporadic mesenchymal neoplasms found in adults, comprising less than 2% of soft tissue tumors. GT originates from glomocytes, which are modified vascular smooth muscle cells located in the walls of specialized structures of the glomus body—a neuromyoarterial plexus in the dermis of the skin that typically plays a role in thermoregulation. Most GTs are benign, though some cases exhibiting atypical or malignant behavior have been documented. GT usually occurs in the skin and superficial soft tissues, primarily in the extremities, especially beneath the nail bed, and rarely affects internal organs; however, those organs lack glomus bodies. The occurrence of GT in the urinary bladder, which does not contain glomus bodies, is an infrequent occurrence and has been reported sporadically. The gene implicated in the pathogenesis of bladder GT is the glomulin gene (GLMN), situated on chromosome arm 1p21-22. Multiple subungual granular tumors (GTs) have been reported in neurofibromatosis type 1, originating from a mutation in the NF1 gene.  The first case of benign GT of the urinary bladder was described by Tripodi SA et al. in 2013, while malignant GT of the urinary bladder was described by Shim HS et al. in 2005. Depending on the relative prominence of glomus cells, vascular structures, and smooth muscle, the  GTs are subcategorized: Solid histotype, Glomangioma, and Glomangiomyoma. In this study, we report a case of benign GT of the urinary bladder in a 63-year-old man presenting with recurrent hematuria of unknown etiology. The cystoscopy showed a polypoid lesion at the anterior wall of the urinary bladder. The transurethral resection was performed, and the lesion was easily removed. In the microscopic examination of the biopsy, the final pathological diagnosis was a benign glomus tumor of the urinary bladder – a solid histotype. After resection of GT, the patient was followed according to standard follow-up protocol for patients with bladder tumors. One year after resection, the patient was in good health, with no recurrence or metastasis, demonstrating the successful treatment and follow-up of this rare case. Conclusions: GTs arising in the bladder are extremely rare. It is challenging to diagnose bladder GTs based on their clinical features. The gold standard method for diagnosing GT is histopathological examination and immunohistochemical analysis. Transurethral resection is the most common treatment used for benign or atypical bladder GT. However, it should also be considered in the differential diagnosis for Bladder neoplasms. https://journal.astes.org.al/AJTES/index.php/AJTES/article/view/470Glomus tumorsUrinary bladderGlomangiomaGlomangiomyoma
spellingShingle Lutfi Alia
Teona Bushati
Leart Berdica
Ledi Bardhi
Sergio A Tripodi
Benign Glomus Tumor of the Urinary Bladder: A Case Report and Literature Review.
Albanian Journal of Trauma and Emergency Surgery
Glomus tumors
Urinary bladder
Glomangioma
Glomangiomyoma
title Benign Glomus Tumor of the Urinary Bladder: A Case Report and Literature Review.
title_full Benign Glomus Tumor of the Urinary Bladder: A Case Report and Literature Review.
title_fullStr Benign Glomus Tumor of the Urinary Bladder: A Case Report and Literature Review.
title_full_unstemmed Benign Glomus Tumor of the Urinary Bladder: A Case Report and Literature Review.
title_short Benign Glomus Tumor of the Urinary Bladder: A Case Report and Literature Review.
title_sort benign glomus tumor of the urinary bladder a case report and literature review
topic Glomus tumors
Urinary bladder
Glomangioma
Glomangiomyoma
url https://journal.astes.org.al/AJTES/index.php/AJTES/article/view/470
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AT teonabushati benignglomustumoroftheurinarybladderacasereportandliteraturereview
AT leartberdica benignglomustumoroftheurinarybladderacasereportandliteraturereview
AT ledibardhi benignglomustumoroftheurinarybladderacasereportandliteraturereview
AT sergioatripodi benignglomustumoroftheurinarybladderacasereportandliteraturereview