Aggressive angiomyxoma in African women: a report of two cases.

BACKGROUND Aggressive angiomyxoma (AAM) is a rare soft tissue tumour usually of the perineum. There is no report in the surgical literature of a description of AAM in black Africans. OBJECTIVE To report the first description of AAM in black Africa women in the surgical literature and to highlight the value of special immunostains in the complete characterization these rare tumours. METHODS Case one was a 38-year-old pre-menopausal woman who presented with a five-year history of a painless mass in the left buttock extending to the left side of the perineum with recent ulceration. Clinical examination revealed a pale and febrile woman with an ulcerated 60 x 40 cm mass distorting the left gluteal region and the left side of the perineum. In case two, a 28-year old woman reported for the assessment of pedunculated mass arising from the right labium major that has been present for four years. Clinical examination revealed a 19 x 15.5 cm well-circumscribed mass in the perineum. The mass was completely covered by thickened hairy skin and attached to the right labium majored by a short thick stalk that measured 5 cm x 7 cm in size. Both tumours were excised via incisions in the perineum. RESULTS In both cases the histopathology of the surgical specimens was reported as bland hypocellular tumours with spindle and stellate cells that lacked mitotic activity consistent with a diagnosis of an aggressive angiomyxoma. CONCLUSION The clinical and histopathological features of the tumours described in this report are consistent with a diagnosis of aggressive angiomyxoma. To the best of our knowledge this is the first ever report of AAM in black African women.