Myofibroblastoma of breast: evidence favoring smooth-muscle rather than myofibroblastic differentiation

Abstract

A histopathological study of two cases of the tumor known in the literature as myofibroblastoma of the breast is presented. The tumors occurred in Caucasian males aged 57 and 62 years. Histologically, these were moderately cellular, lobulated spindle-cell lesions, each with a reasonably well-delineated edge with surrounding fatty connective tissue. No breast ducts or lobules were present. Tumor cell nuclei were bland, with small nucleoli and some nuclear grooving. Nuclear atypia and mitoses were absent. Immunostaining revealed positivity for a-smooth-muscle actin, desmin, and CD34. Tumor cells contained rough endoplasmic reticulum, bundles of myofilaments with focal densities, intermediate filaments, attachment plaques alternating with plasmalemmal caveolae, and focal lamina. Ultrastructural findings pointed to true smooth-muscle differentiation, and the cell-surface in particular lacked surface features of myofibroblasts (fibronectin fibrils [microtendons] and fibronexus junctions). These and published data suggest that at least some of the lesions referred to in the literature as myofibroblastoma may not be myofibroblastic and may be better designated as myogenic stromal tumors or as variants of leiomyoma.