title: Cardiac myxoma in a 6-year-old child--constitutional symptoms mimicking rheumatic disease and the role of interleukin-6.
abstract: A 6-y-old girl with right atrial myxoma presented with remittent fever attacks, general arthralgia and laboratory investigations mimicking rheumatic or autoimmune disease. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) serum concentration was markedly elevated before and normal after tumour resection, whereas myxoma cells stained negatively for IL-6. IL-6 should be considered a myxoma marker: overproduction by myxoma cells and consecutive systemic passage are assumed to cause immunological features.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Aachen University of Technology, Germany.
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Hövels-Gürich
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Seghaye
authors.forename: B K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Amo-Takyi
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hügel
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Duchateau
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: von Bernuth
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood; D002648:Child; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000601:surgery*; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood*; D009232:Myxoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000601:surgery; D012216:Rheumatic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D015850:Interleukin-6