Primary conjunctival myxoma: case series and review of the literature

Aims Myxomas are benign soft tissue tumours resembling primitive mesenchyme. They rarely involve ocular structures, and have been recognized in the conjunctiva, eyelids, cornea, and orbit. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinicopathological features of seven patients with primary conjunctival myxoma seen at Dr Luis Sánchez Bulnes Hospital, an ophthalmological referral centre in Mexico City. Methods and results We reviewed the clinical, histochemical and immunohistochemical studies of patients with documented myxoma of the conjunctiva diagnosed in our hospital. Seven conjunctival myxomas were retrieved from 5923 conjunctival biopsies (0.1%). The mean age of patients was 40 years, with a range of 27–51 years. Females were more frequently affected, and none of our patients had systemic disease. The left eye was involved in five cases, and most of the lesions were located in the bulbar conjunctiva. Histopathological examination revealed a benign tumour composed of spindle‐shaped and stellate‐shaped cells immersed within an abundant mucinous matrix with sparse vessels and reticulin fibres. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated positivity for vimentin and negativity for smooth muscle actin, SOX 10 and GLUT 1 in myxoma cells of all cases. S100 was found to be positive in four cases, and muscle‐specific‐actin in three cases. Conclusions Conjunctival myxomas are uncommon tumours. For accurate diagnosis, histopathological examination is mandatory. The treatment of choice is surgical removal, and the prognosis is excellent.