Intramuscular Myxoma: Unusual Observation Of Spontaneous Tumor Size Shrinkage
Khoury, C. E., Taihi, L., Evrard, R., De Roo, A. K., Lecouvet, F., & Schubert, T. (2025). Intramuscular myxoma: unusual observation of spontaneous tumor size shrinkage. Skeletal radiology, 54(6), 1347–1352. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-024-04813-1
View Original Source →Abstract
Soft tissue tumors, whether benign or malignant, may grow over time or remain stable, but they usually do not spontaneously decrease in size. However, there are exceptions, such as inflammatory conditions, desmoid tumors, or benign cysts. Intramuscular myxomas are benign soft tissue tumors that typically present as a solitary, slow-growing, painless mass. They are generally treated by surgical resection, after which recurrence is rare. Here, we present a brief series of three unusual cases of intramuscular myxomas that spontaneously decreased in size. They were located in the cervical region, the right lower extremity, and the paravertebral lumbar region. Imaging findings and percutaneous biopsies confirmed the diagnosis in all cases. Follow-up imaging showed a spontaneous reduction in lesion volume over time, far exceeding the amount of tissue sample removed during biopsy. This unusual observation of spontaneous shrinkage may call into question the subsequent therapeutic approach to these lesions.
Case Details
Disease Location
Muscle
Personal Characteristics
35-year-old male
Clinical Characteristics
Diagnosed with a soft tissue mass in the posterior cervical region. Revealed a well-circumscribed, lobulated intermuscular mass with a bright hyperintense signal on t2-weighted sequences, suggestive of a cystic-like soft tissue tumor
Remission Characteristics
One month later, a new MRI study conducted before the biopsy showed spontaneous and marked shrinkage of the tumor volume
Treatment & Mechanisms
Proposed Remission Mechanisms
Induced by biopsy