Gp. Nielsen et al., INTRAMUSCULAR MYXOMA - A CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL STUDY OF 51 CASES WITH EMPHASIS ON HYPERCELLULAR AND HYPERVASCULAR VARIANTS, The American journal of surgical pathology, 22(10), 1998, pp. 1222-1227
Intramuscular myxoma (IM) is a benign soft-tissue tumor that presents
as a deeply seated mass confined to skeletal muscle. Surgical excision
is virtually always curative. Recurrence, even after incomplete resec
tion, is exceptional. Intramuscular myxoma is classically described as
hypocellular and hypovascular, and is composed of cytologically bland
stellate and bipolar fibroblasts separated by abundant extracellular
myxoid matrix. What is underemphasized, however, is that IMs often sho
w areas of increased cellularity and vascularity that can lead to a mi
staken diagnosis of sarcoma, especially myxofibrosarcoma, low-grade fi
bromyxoid sarcoma, and myxoid liposarcoma. In this report, we describe
the clinicopathologic features of 51 IMs with special emphasis on tho
se that exhibit these ''hypercellular regions.'' The patients included
35 women and 16 men who ranged in age from 27 to 89 (mean 52) years.
The tumors measured from 2 to 15 (average 5.6) cm and all had a gelati
nous, lobulated cut surface. Histologically, they all demonstrated cla
ssic hypocellular, hypovascular regions. Thirty eight tumors contained
areas of relative increased cellularity that occupied from 10 to 80%
of the tumor. These foci had increased numbers of cells, more prominen
t vascularity, and often increased collagen content. The hypercellular
regions were not associated with cytologic atypia of the constituent
cells, mitotic activity, or necrosis. Follow-up information was availa
ble for 32 patients and ranged from 3 to 108 (average 30) months. No t
umor recurred or metastasized. Areas of hypercellularity are common in
IMs. Their recognition is important to avoid an erroneous diagnosis o
f sarcoma.