Rabdomyoma

Rhabdomyoma is a rare, completely benign tumor. It is a variant of rhabdomyosarcoma. Both tumors originate in the mesenchyme, specifically in the striated muscle.

Distribution
The tumor can appear prenatally or postnatally. We therefore distinguish 2 forms: According to the location of the tumor, we distinguish 2 types:
 * adult;
 * fetal.
 * cardiac (in the heart), may occur in connection with tuberous sclerosis or alone;
 * extracardiac (soft tissues), head, neck.

Macroscopy
The tumor typically occurs in children under 1 year of age. Macroscopically, they appear as multiple bright nodes in the myocardium that pass into the heart cavities.

Microscopy
In the microscope we see large cells with a large cytoplasm full of glycogen vacuoles, between the vacuoles there are thin strips of cytoplasm between the nucleus and the cell membrane - the so-called spider cells. In addition, we detect actin and desmin in tumor cells, which proves that the tumor cells have a muscular origin.

Prognosis
It depends on the extent of the disability. If the child does not die, the nodes regress over time.

Related articles

 * Mesenchymal tumors
 * Heart tumors
 * rhabdomyosarcoma