Re: Schwanoma

Posted By CCF Neuro MD *!* on December 08, 1997 at 20:19:48:

In Reply to: Schwanoma posted by Levin Nason on December 08, 1997 at 19:11:04:







: I recently had a schwanoma tumor removed from my left hand.  I have been unable to find out as to the cause of this tumor.  I am a healty young male and have no family history of cancer.  The doctor who removed it was ver excited and after the opperation told me that he wish he had had his camera with him.  I am very curious and somewhat concerned about development of more of these tumors.  



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I have reviewed the literature on schwannomas, these while relatively rare overall are the most common tumor of the peripheral, nerves, and may affect any nerve in the body.
They arise from the sheath surrounding the nerve and  require surgical removal, which can sometimes be accomplished without severely damaging the nerve, this is usually curative
A common setting in which schwannomas are found is in the setting of a hereditary disease known as Neurofibromatosis or Von Recklinghausens disease, in this case they may be multiple and recurrent.
The most common setting in which they present is however  as single lesions in otherwise normal individuals, the prognosis for solitary , benign  peripheral nerve schwannomas is very good however  as  they seldom recur.
I am unsure  as to why  your surgeon was so excited by the tumor, possibly he has not seen one in this location before, I would not nesessarily attach any sinister significance to it.
This information is provided for general medical education purposes only.
Please consult your physician for diagnostic and treatment options of your specific medical condition.