title: Myxoma of the conjunctiva: a case report and a review of the literature.
abstract: A rare case of conjunctival myxoma is reported. A painless tumor was noted in the left bulbar conjunctiva of an 80-year-old woman. The extirpated tumor, 12 x 10 mm, was hypocellular and composed of spindle-shaped or stellate tumor cells. The tumor stroma showed extensive myxomatous changes. Alcian blue stain with hyaluronidase digestion revealed that the matrix contained rich amounts of hyaluronidase-sensitive acid mucopolysaccharides. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells were positive for vimentin and alpha-smooth muscle actin, suggesting a fibroblastic or myofibroblastic cell phenotype. A review of the literature revealed the rare incidence and invariable benign behavior of conjunctival myxoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Horie
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ikawa
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nagata
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tamai
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000032:analysis; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003230:Conjunctival Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans / Q000032:analysis; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D006801:Humans; D009232:Myxoma / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D014746:Vimentin / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans; D014746:Vimentin