Malignant Glomus Tumor of the Gastric Antrum with Liver Metastasis in a 35-year-old Female: A Case Report

Glomus tumors (GTs) are mesenchymal tumors derived from modified smooth muscle cells of the glomus body. These tumors account for less than 2% of all soft tissue tumors, and of those less than 1% are malignant. A 35-year-old African American female presented with symptomatic iron deficiency anemia. On esophagogastroduodenoscopy, a 5 cm mass was seen partially obstructing the antrum and tissue biopsy was obtained. The biopsy showed low-grade epithelial mesenchymal neoplasm with features of a glomus tumor. A follow up computed tomography (CT) chest/abdomen/pelvis revealed a 5 cm relatively homogeneous solid mass in the gastric antrum, which appeared most similar to a gastrointestinal stromal tumor. During the planned distal gastrectomy with reconstruction, one hepatic metastasis was identified via intraoperative ultrasound and was confirmed by frozen section consultation to be the same histologic type as the antral mass. Pathologic and immunohistochemical findings were consistent with a malignant gastric glomus tumor with liver metastasis. Most GTs have a benign clinical course making the diagnosis and treatment of malignant GTs an ongoing challenge. The data on glomus tumors of the viscera is limited by the rarity of these tumors, with most of the known presentation and treatment gathered from case reports.