title: The association between glomus tumors and neurofibromatosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether an epidemiologic association exists between glomus tumors and neurofibromatosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using a pathology database, we established a study cohort consisting of all patients who had undergone excision of a glomus tumor of the hand between 1995 and 2010. We created a control cohort by randomly selecting 200 patients who had undergone excision of a ganglion cyst over the same period. We reviewed medical records for each cohort to identify patients with a diagnosis of neurofibromatosis. We calculated the odds ratio was calculated and performed Fisher's exact test to determine the significance of the association.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We identified 21 patients with glomus tumors of the hand. Six of these patients carried the diagnosis of neurofibromatosis (29%). In contrast, no patients in the control group carried the diagnosis of neurofibromatosis. The odds ratio for a diagnosis of neurofibromatosis in association with a glomus tumor compared with controls was 168:1.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study provides evidence of a strong epidemiologic association between glomus tumors and neurofibromatosis. Glomus tumor should be included in the differential diagnosis in neurofibromatosis patients who present with a painful lesion of the hand or finger.
  
  
  METHODS
  Diagnostic III.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, TX 75390, USA.
authors.forename: Bridget
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.forename: Amy M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: Ryan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Calfee
authors.forename: Douglas M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Sammer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D005918:Glomus Tumor / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery; D006225:Hand / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017253:Neurofibromatoses / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011379:Prognosis; D012016:Reference Values; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Glomus tumor; hand tumor; neurofibroma; neurofibromatosis; von Recklinghausen