Next generation sequencing for GNAS uncovers CD34 as a sensitive marker for intramuscular myxoma

Abstract

Background: Intramuscular myxoma is a soft tissue myxoid tumor with a broad morphological differential diagnosis and recent developments have led to the identification of markers that can exclude some, but not all, differential diagnostic entities. However, a sensitive confirmatory marker for intramuscular myxoma has not been clearly identified. Since there is some evidence that mutations in the GNAS gene could be such a marker, we evaluated our results of next-generation sequencing testing for GNAS mutations performed in recent years on our series of intramuscular myxoma.

Materials and methods: Next-generation sequencing was performed on 10 cases of intramuscular myxoma diagnosed between 2015 and 2019, using either the TruSight Tumor 26 panel or an in-house developed 97 cancer gene panel. Additionally, immunohistochemistry for CD34 was performed on all cases.

Results: All intramuscular myxomas showed a diffuse and strong expression of CD34 and a GNAS mutation was found in 88% of cases, making this a very sensitive positive test for the diagnosis of intramuscular myxoma.

Conclusions: Under the condition that contemporary next-generation sequencing is applied as testing method, searching for GNAS mutations is a very sensitive confirmatory test for the diagnosis of intramuscular myxoma, obviating the necessity to perform tests that exclude other entities by the virtue of their negative result. The molecular tests results also identified strong and diffuse CD34 expression as a sensitive, albeit non-specific, marker for intramuscular myxoma.

Keywords: CD34; GNAS; Intramuscular myxoma; Next generation sequencing.