Ho Chi Minh City – Ms. Thoa, 33 years old, had been experiencing pain in her right middle finger for nearly 5 years. Despite medication and interventions, the pain persisted, and doctors diagnosed her with a subungual glomus tumor.
Initially, Ms. Thoa (from Kon Tum ) experienced occasional mild pain in her fingertips, which later became more frequent, causing sharp pain with even slight pressure, changes in temperature and weather, and loss of appetite and sleep. She went for a check-up, took medication, and had a tumor removed, but the pain did not subside; it returned after the medication ran out.
On November 5th, Dr. Le Van Minh Tue, a specialist in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Tam Anh General Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, stated that the glomus tumor under the nail of Ms. Thoa's right middle finger measured approximately 1-2 mm. The previous diagnosis was inaccurate, leading to ineffective treatment.
The tumor grew, occupying nearly two-thirds of the patient's fingernail. Photo: Tam Anh General Hospital
The connecting structure between arteries and veins is called the glomerulus. Surrounded by numerous nerve endings, the glomerulus is highly sensitive to temperature and touch. Glomerulus acts as a thermoregulatory organ, helping the body regulate temperature.
When tumors form and grow in this structure, it leads to glomus tumors. These tumors can appear in many locations on the body, but are most commonly found on the fingertips and toes. The disease accounts for 1-4.5% of hand tumors, is benign, but causes significant damage to surrounding tissues and nerves, resulting in pain and significantly impacting the patient's daily life.
According to Dr. Tue, surgery is the only method for completely curing the disease. The patient is given local anesthesia, and then the tumor is removed. With this type of surgery, there are two very likely risks: incomplete removal of the tumor, leading to recurrence after treatment; and damage to the nail bed (the soft tissue under the nail containing many small blood vessels) during the dissection process, causing deformation when the nail grows back.
Removing the tumor was relatively easy, but the surgery required a specialist in hand surgery. The team used a frozen sectioning technique, which minimized both of these risks.
Doctor Tuệ (left) during a tumor removal surgery. Photo: Tam Anh General Hospital
After the surgery, Ms. Thoa was discharged on the same day and had a follow-up appointment two weeks later to reassess the wound and nail bed. Typically, patients can fully recover within two months.
Dr. Tuệ advises that even though it's a benign soft tissue tumor, there's a very small chance it can become malignant. If you experience pain or sensitivity to temperature in your fingertips, you should see a doctor as soon as possible for timely treatment to avoid complications such as destruction of the nail bed, nail deformity; or the tumor compressing and leading to bone destruction.
Phi Hong
* The patient's name has been changed.
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