Myxoid tumours of soft tissue

Myxoid tumours of soft tissue encompass a heterogeneous group of lesions characterized by a marked abundance of extracellular mucoid (myxoid) matrix. This group of tumours demonstrate significant variability in their biological behaviour thus including tumours which are entirely harmless, tumours with a tendency to recur locally but not metastasize, and malignant tumours. There appears to be a considerable degree of overlap clinically and morphologically between the various tumour types in this group, generating potential diagnostic problems for the clinician and pathologist alike. While diligent microscopy remains the basis of diagnostic pathology, the continuous developments and refinements within the fields of immunohistochemistry and molecular cytogenetics are providing substantial new information, allowing the development of new diagnostic criteria and hence facilitating an accurate diagnosis. It is the aim of this short review to highlight the most prevalent soft tissue tumours with predominantly myxoid morphology, to describe the features by which the majority of these myxoid lesions may be identified, and to discuss the differential diagnosis where appropriate.