Giant cell tumor of tendon sheath.

BACKGROUND: Giant cell tumor of tendon sheath (GCTTS) is often thought of as a volar finger mass. We hypothesized that GCTTS are equally common on the dorsal and volar aspects of the hand. In addition, we hypothesized that there are no factors associated with the location (volar versus dorsal) and largest measured dimension of a GCTTS.

METHODS: A total of 126 patients with a pathological diagnosis of a GCTTS of the hand or finger were reviewed. Basic demographic and GCTTS specific information was obtained. Bivariable analyses were used to assess predicting factors for location (volar or dorsal side) and largest measured diameter of a GCTTS.

RESULTS: Seventy-two tumors (57%) were on the volar side of the hand, 47 (37%) were dorsal, 6 (4.8%) were both dorsal and volar, and one was midaxial (0.79%). The most common site of a GCTTS was the index finger (30%). There were no factors significantly associated with the location (volar or dorsal, n=119) of the GCTTS. There were also no factors significantly associated with a larger diameter of a GCTTS.

CONCLUSIONS: A GCTTS was more frequently seen on the volar aspect of the hand. No significant factors associated with the location or an increased size of a GCTTS were found in this study.