Statistical and histological analysis of tumors of the upper extremity.

BACKGROUND

Tumors of the upper extremity are common and usually benign. The most commonly diagnosed are ganglion cysts: specific, non-neoplastic swellings localized mostly around the wrist.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this retrospective study was to determine the proportion of various types of nonganglionic hand tumors operated on at the authors' institution in 2014.

METHODS

A total of 246 patients, 141 women (57 %) and 105 men (43 %), with a mean age of 53 years and with tumorsof the upper extremity, were identified and treated in the authors' institution in 2014.

RESULTS

Almost half of the lesions were localized in the fingers ( = 119, 48 %), followed by the wrist (=49, 20 %), metacarpus ( = 40, 16 %), and more proximal parts ( = 38, 16 %). The time between the patients noticing the lesion and surgery was a mean of 4 years (range, 1 month to 30 years). The most common lesion was giant cell tumor of the tendon sheath ( = 58, 23 %), followed by lipoma ( = 40, 16 %), epidermal cyst ( = 23, 9 %), enchondroma (=16, 6 %), hemangioma ( = 14, 6 %), fibroma ( = 11, (4 %), glomus tumor ( = 10, (4 %), and rheumatoid nodule ( = 10, (4 %). Two cases of malignant fibrosarcoma were identified incidentally.

CONCLUSION

A brief review of the literature is made referring to the data presented here.