GENERAL INFORMATION
Most of thhe swellings, masses and nodules seen on the hand, wrist and arms (upper extremity) are benign. In a research made in the USA, it is demonstrated that a hand surgeon has seen two carcoma cases that are not diagnosed throughout his career. This explains us that most of the palpable masses are benign but we also have to be prepared for rarely seen malignant lesions.
Most of the developments we observe in our careers are provided in the orthopedic onchology (muscle scleton system cancers) area. The development of cemotherapy and radiotherapy and the applicability of microscurgery has enabled exteremity (arm-leg) sparing surgery to be a golden standart. In this way, the number os the surgical interventions like amputation has significantly decreased. Today, the survival rate of muscle-sceleton cancer (sarcoma) cases free of disease for five years is around 80%. This rate was around 20% in the recent past.
1) Fractures Around Elbow Joint
Ganglion (cystic hygroma) (figure 1)Giant Cell Tumor of Tendon Sheath (figure 2)Palmar Nodules due to Dupuytren Disease (figure 3)
The statistical information about the masses seen on the hand and the wrist will help us understand the subject better. Only one of the each 200 malign bone tumors in the human body is seen on the hand and wrist (0.5%). However, six of the each 100 benign bone tumors are seen on the hand and wrist (6%). Thus, the benign probability of a mass detected on the hand and wrist is so much more. Only four of the of each 100 malign soft tissue tumors are seen on the hand and wrist (4%). Besides, 15 of the each 100 benign soft tissue tumors are seen on the hand and wrist (15%). These statistics on the soft tissue tumors does not include the formations like ganglion, epidermoid cysts or dupuytren; so the real rate is much lower.
