Various hand tumors: over 20 years of clinical experience in Korea

Abstract

Purpose: Although the hand only constitutes 2% of the body, it is a site where a wide variety of tumors occur, and the results of surgery substantially impact its function. Therefore, an accurate diagnosis and appropriate selection of individual treatment strategies are very important. This study reviewed the diagnostic characteristics and clinical features of surgically treated hand tumors at our facility.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 65 patients who underwent surgery for suspected hand tumors at our institution between 2003 and 2020. Data, including patient demographics, diagnosis, pathology, type of surgery, comorbidities, and tumor characteristics (e.g., location and tumor size), were collected from medical records.

Results: In total, 59 (90.7%) and six patients (9.3%) were diagnosed with benign and malignant tumors, respectively. Ganglion cysts were the most common tumors (n=11), followed by vascular anomalies (n=10), epidermoid cysts (n=7), and glomus tumors (n=4). There were four cases of bone tumors (6.2%), including one chondroma, one chondrosarcoma, and two giant cell tumors. In 53 cases with an imaging workup, the pathological diagnosis was concordant in 44 cases. Of the nine cases with inconsistent results, eight were tumors located in the finger; this association was significant (p=0.048).

Conclusion: In this study, ganglion cyst and squamous cell carcinoma were the most common benign and malignant tumors, respectively, and four cases of bone tumors were found. Radiologic misdiagnosis was more frequent in finger tumors than in other tumors. Thus, hand tumors, especially those suspected to be malignant, should be assessed using a multidisciplinary approach.