OBJECTIVETo study the disease spectrum, clinical and pathologic features of primary cardiac neoplasms at a single medical institution during a period of eight years.

METHODSThe clinical and pathologic features of 81 cases of primary cardiac neoplasms encountered at the Affiliated Hospital of Medical College, Qingdao University from January, 2004 to December, 2011, either for cardiovascular surgery or as pathology consultation cases, were retrospectively reviewed. Immunohistochemical study was carried out in selected examples.

RESULTSAmongst the 81 cases studied, 73 cases (90.1%) were benign and 8 cases (9.9%) were malignant. Cardiac myxomas accounted for 97.3% (71/73) of all the benign cases. Six of the 8 malignant cases represented soft tissue sarcomas. The commonest presenting symptom was dyspnea. The histologic subtypes included myxoma (number = 71), angiosarcoma (number = 2), malignant fibrous histiocytoma (number = 2), hemangioma (number = 1), liposarcoma (number = 1), lymphoma (number = 1), myxofibrosarcoma (number = 1) and papillary fibroelastoma (number = 1).

CONCLUSIONSWhile the majority of primary cardiac neoplasms are myxomas, other tumor types do exist. Accurate histologic diagnosis and timely surgery are crucial in patient management.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Child ; Female ; Fibroma ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Fibrosarcoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Hemangioma ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Hemangiosarcoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Histiocytoma, Malignant Fibrous ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Liposarcoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Lymphoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myxoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Sarcoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Treatment Outcome ; Vimentin ; metabolism ; Young Adult

Chondroblastoma ; pathology ; Chondroma ; pathology ; Chondrosarcoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Cricoid Cartilage ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Humans ; Laryngeal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Laryngectomy ; Lymph Node Excision ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Osteoblastoma ; pathology ; Osteosarcoma ; pathology ; S100 Proteins ; metabolism ; Sarcoma, Clear Cell ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Vimentin ; metabolism

Adenofibroma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Antigens, CD34 ; metabolism ; Child, Preschool ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Humans ; Kidney Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Nephroma, Mesoblastic ; metabolism ; pathology ; Sarcoma, Clear Cell ; metabolism ; pathology ; Stromal Cells ; metabolism ; pathology ; Vimentin ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo study the morphologic characteristics, immunophenotype and differential diagnosis of a case of microcystic/reticular schwannoma occurring in cervical spine.

METHODSThe pathologic features and immunophenotypic profile of a case of microcystic/reticular schwannoma were studied. Immunohistochemistry was performed using EnVision two-step method.

RESULTSThe patient was a 35-year-old male and presented with a bump over the fifth cervical spine on radiologic check up. Grossly, the bump was gray-white in color, soft, well-circumscribed but non-encapsulated. The tumor measured 3.5 cm × 3.0 cm × 1.8 cm in size. Histologically, it was composed of two distinctive components. One component resembled the conventional schwannoma but showed focally nuclear pleomorphism, reminiscent of changes in degenerating schwannoma. The other component consisted of epithelial-like cells arranged in a reticular or lace-like pattern, amongst a myxoid matrix. Immunohistochemical study showed that the tumor cells were strongly positive for vimentin, S-100 protein, glial fibrillary acidic protein and neuron-specific enolase, focally positive for CD68, CD10 and Ki-67, and negative for pan-cytokeratin, epithelial membrane antigen, neurofilament, carcinoembryonic antigen, smooth muscle actin, estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and p53.

CONCLUSIONSMicrocystic/reticular schwannoma is a novel variant of schwannoma, arising mainly in internal viscera but seldom in bone. Awareness of this entity is helpful in distinction from chordoma, other mucoid tumors or sarcomas.

Adult ; Cervical Vertebrae ; Chondrosarcoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Chordoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein ; metabolism ; Humans ; Male ; Neurilemmoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Phosphopyruvate Hydratase ; metabolism ; S100 Proteins ; metabolism ; Sarcoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Spinal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Vimentin ; metabolism

Adenocarcinoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Adult ; Desmin ; metabolism ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; secondary ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Melanoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Rhabdomyosarcoma, Alveolar ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Sarcoma, Alveolar Soft Part ; metabolism ; pathology ; Testicular Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Testis ; metabolism ; pathology

Adult ; Antigens, Neoplasm ; metabolism ; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors ; pathology ; Humans ; MART-1 Antigen ; Male ; Neoplasm Proteins ; metabolism ; Osteoclasts ; pathology ; S100 Proteins ; metabolism ; Sarcoma, Clear Cell ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Soft Tissue Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery

Bone Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Langerhans Cell Sarcoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Middle Aged ; S100 Proteins ; metabolism ; Talus ; Vimentin ; metabolism

Antigens, CD34 ; metabolism ; Cytokines ; metabolism ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mucin-1 ; metabolism ; Perineum ; pathology ; Phosphopyruvate Hydratase ; metabolism ; Sarcoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Vimentin ; metabolism

Adult ; Carcinoma, Small Cell ; metabolism ; pathology ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Leukosialin ; metabolism ; Lymphoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Peroxidase ; metabolism ; Sarcoma, Myeloid ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Uterine Cervicitis ; metabolism ; pathology

Actins ; metabolism ; Calcium-Binding Proteins ; metabolism ; Calmodulin-Binding Proteins ; metabolism ; Desmin ; metabolism ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Leiomyoma, Epithelioid ; metabolism ; pathology ; Leiomyomatosis ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Leiomyosarcoma ; pathology ; Microfilament Proteins ; metabolism ; Middle Aged ; Receptors, Estrogen ; metabolism ; Receptors, Progesterone ; metabolism ; Rhabdoid Tumor ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Sarcoma, Endometrial Stromal ; metabolism ; pathology ; Uterine Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Vascular Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Veins ; pathology ; Vimentin ; metabolism