Myxoma of the breast: report of a case with unique histological and immunohistochemical appearances.
A case of myxoma of the breast is reported. The patient, a 19 year old Japanese woman, showed a lump in the left breast which had enlarged gradually over 3 years. A tumor measuring 5 x 5 x 4.5 cm was located mainly in the mammary parenchyma, but partially involved the overlying subcutaneous tissue. Histologically the tumor was multinodular and each nodule consisted of an abundant myxoid substance with a few spindle or stellate mesenchymal cells. The presence of hyaluronic acid was observed in the myxoid area, and a few constituent cells showed immunoreactivities for S-100 protein and alpha 1-antichymotrypsin. Electron microscopic studies revealed that some constituent cells looked like undifferentiated mesenchymal cells, while others showed a differentiation similar to fibroblast or histiocyte. These findings suggest that the constituent cells might derive from totipotential primitive mesenchymal cells.
Arihiro
K
K
Second Department of Pathology, Hiroshima University School of Medicine, Japan.
Inai
K
K
Kurihara
K
K
Takeda
S
S
Khatun
N
N
Kuroi
K
K
Kawami
H
H
Toge
T
T
D000328:Adult; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009232:Myxoma / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*