Ectomesenchymal chondromyxoid tumor of the anterior tongue: a report of three cases.

Ectomesenchymal chondromyxoid tumor is a newly described benign neoplasm that presents clinically as a firm, painless, slow-growing mass that typically involves the anterior dorsal tongue. It has been reported to occur over a wide age range (9 to 78 years) and has no apparent sex predilection. Histologically, the tumor is composed of a well-circumscribed, unencapsulated lobular proliferation of fusiform and polygonal cells in a chondromyxoid matrix. Features such as multilobulated nuclei, foci of cellular atypia, and infiltration may be present. Though disturbing, these do not appear to indicate malignant behavior. We report three cases of ectomesenchymal chondromyxoid tumors that confirm the previously described clinical, histologic, and immunohistochemical features. In addition, we describe the ultrastructural features of one of the cases.