ABSTRACT
Ectomesenchymal chondromyxoid tumor (ECMT) is a rare entity of the dorsal tongue first described in 1995. Herein, we report a rare case of lingual ECMT in a 41-year-old man. Patient presented with an asymptomatic, small nodule (0.5 cm in diameter) in the anterior tongue. The pathological findings showed uni-lobular proliferation of fusiform cells, arranged in net-like sheets or swirls, in a chondromyxoid background. The tumor cells were immunoreactive for S-100 and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), but negative for epithelial markers. Familiarity with this entity helps pathologists make a correct diagnosis.
ABSTRACT
Ectomesenchymal chondromyxoid tumor (ECMT) is a rare tumor, exclusively arising in the anterior tongue. Thirty-eight cases have been reported in the English literature. It usually presents as a sessile protrusion and shows round to spindle cells embedded in myxoid to chondroid stroma. Tumor cells are almost always positive for polyclonal glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). We report our experience in the recent treatment of a case of ECMT, the third case in 3 years. The mass in the anterior tongue revealed characteristic morphologic features of ECMT and the expression of polyclonal GFAP. Although ECMT should be differentiated from other mesenchymal tumors including myoepithelioma, its clinical, morphological, and immunohistochemical features enable its diagnosis, especially when pathologists are aware of it.