Angiomyxoma
Encyclopedia
Angiomyxoma is a myxomatous
tumor
involving the blood vessels.
It can affect the vulva
and other parts of the pelvis
.
Aggressive angiomyxoma was originally described in 1983, but the term "angiomyxoma" dates back to at least 1952.
Although it is a benign
tumour and does not 'invade' the neighbouring tissue, it has a tendency to recur after surgical excision so it is termed as aggressive. The recurrence can be as close as six months from initial resection. It will not be surprising to find cases coming to tertiary medical centers with history of having a labial mass (sometimes misdiagnosed as gartner's cyst) and have multiple surgical excisions from various doctors. There is no proven medical therapy and people have tried various sorts of chemotherapy like Tamoxifen
, Leuprolide
and even full blown chemotherapy.
Myxoma
A myxoma is a tumor of primitive connective tissue. It is the most common primary tumor of the heart in adults, but can also occur in other locations....
tumor
Tumor
A tumor or tumour is commonly used as a synonym for a neoplasm that appears enlarged in size. Tumor is not synonymous with cancer...
involving the blood vessels.
It can affect the vulva
Vulva
The vulva consists of the external genital organs of the female mammal. This article deals with the vulva of the human being, although the structures are similar for other mammals....
and other parts of the pelvis
Pelvis
In human anatomy, the pelvis is the lower part of the trunk, between the abdomen and the lower limbs .The pelvis includes several structures:...
.
Aggressive angiomyxoma was originally described in 1983, but the term "angiomyxoma" dates back to at least 1952.
Although it is a benign
Benign
A benign tumor is a tumor that lacks the ability to metastasize. Common examples of benign tumors include moles and uterine fibroids.The term "benign" implies a mild and nonprogressive disease. Indeed, many kinds of benign tumors are harmless to human health...
tumour and does not 'invade' the neighbouring tissue, it has a tendency to recur after surgical excision so it is termed as aggressive. The recurrence can be as close as six months from initial resection. It will not be surprising to find cases coming to tertiary medical centers with history of having a labial mass (sometimes misdiagnosed as gartner's cyst) and have multiple surgical excisions from various doctors. There is no proven medical therapy and people have tried various sorts of chemotherapy like Tamoxifen
Tamoxifen
Tamoxifen is an antagonist of the estrogen receptor in breast tissue via its active metabolite, hydroxytamoxifen. In other tissues such as the endometrium, it behaves as an agonist, hence tamoxifen may be characterized as a mixed agonist/antagonist...
, Leuprolide
Leuprolide
Leuprorelin or leuprolide acetate is a GnRH analog. Proper Sequence: Pyr-His-Trp-Ser-Tyr-D-Leu-Leu-Arg-Pro-NHEt - Mode of action:Leuprolide acts as an agonist at pituitary GnRH receptors...
and even full blown chemotherapy.