Cardiac myxoma

Cardiac myxoma is the most common primary tumour of the heart in adults, typically occurring middle aged women. About 75% of all primary cardiac tumours are benign, the most common of these being atrial myxomas.

Macroscopic appearance

The cut surface appears gelatinous and glistening.

Histopathology

Cardiac myxomas shows small stellate cells forming strands and perivascular concentrations within a myxoid stroma. 1-5% of cases include glandular structures. Very rare, the glandular epithelium appears atypical1.

Immunohistochemistry

	endothelium	perivascular cells	myxoma cells	gland-like structures
von Willebrand factor	+		-
Ulex europaeus agglutinin I	+
vimentin			+
calretinin			+
SMA		common
CEA				1/11
CDX-2				0/11
TTF-1				0/11
cytokeratin				+, 1/1(CK 7, 8 and 18, focally CK20)1

Prognosis

Cardiac myxomas are considered benign tumours.

References

Diagnostic histopathology of tumors. Edited by CDM Fletcher. 2nd edition. Churchill Livingstone. Pages 13-14.

1 den Bakker MA, Dinjens WN,Bekkers JA. Cardiac myxoma with atypical glandular component, report of a case. Histopathology 2006; 48:206-8

This page last revised 31.1.2006