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Intramuscular Myxoma: Unusual Observation Of Spontaneous Tumor Size Shrinkage

Khoury, C. E. 2025Other/Unknown

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

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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