Granular cell myoblastoma of the head and neck: review of the literature and 10 year experience.

The literature on granular cell myoblastoma (Abrikossoff's tumor) is reviewed and 16 new cases are presented. The etiology of this tumor remains uncertain, although a neurogenic origin appears likely. Individual tumors are usually small, nodular, and nonulcerating. There appeared to be no predilection for either sex in our series, and most tumors occurred between the third and sixth decades of life. Pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia is frequently associated with granular cell myoblastoma, and this combination must be distinguished from squamous cell carcinoma. Wide local excision, the treatment of choice, should be curative, although the incidence of multicentricity may exceed 15%. Thus, despite the usually benign nature of granular cell myoblastoma, its propensity for local invasion, multicentricity, and associated pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia should alert surgeons to its potential hazards, to the probability of recurrence if it is only marginally excised, and to the possible later development of similar lesions.