title: Plexiform fibromyxoma of the gallbladder.
abstract: We report the unusual case of a plexiform fibromyxoma, occasionally assessed in a lithiasic gallbladder. The full thickness assessment of the gallbladder wall revealed an intra-mural, well demarked multi-nodular tumor (1 cm), consisting of a plexiform growth of spindle cells, included within a fibromyxoid stroma with a rich micro-vascular network. The tumor cells featured no nuclear atypia, nor mitotic activity. At the immunohistochemical profiling, the spindle shaped cells unequivocally featured vimentin, SMA, HHF35, collagen IV, and CD34; no cells expressed CD117, PDGFRA, CD10, desmin, GFAP, EMA, and S-100. Faint STAT6 nuclear expression was observed in isolated tumor cells. The molecular profiling did not revealed any CKIT and PDGFRA genes mutations. The uncommon site of the tumor presentation and its aberrant CD34 expression both confer to the reported case a unique place among the myxoid tumors of the gastrointestinal tract.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fassan
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Salmaso
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Saraggi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Alaggio
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guido
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Balsamo
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Carniato
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gruppo
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ninfo
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bardini
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rugge
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D005350:Fibroma / Q000473:pathology*; D005704:Gallbladder / Q000473:pathology*; D005706:Gallbladder Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged