nerve sheath tumor in ulnar nerve

  I appear to have nerve sheath tumor in the ulnar nerve. Had carpal tunnel surgery and pain in arm and fingers continued. Found mass in upper right arm. MRI and Dopler Ultra Sound confirm. Dopler shows virtually no vascularity in tumor. Have appointment with Neurosurgen. Wondering about percentage of that are malignant? What is the protocol? Is it mandatory to cut the nerve? Basically want to know more about what I am dealing with.
    Another factor to include is that had malignant melonoma - 1996, upper right chest. Have seen no evidence of reoccurence in periodic check ups. Thanks for any info.

Dear James:
Certainly there is a risk that this could be related to melanonma though
this is not a common site for them to occur in. The great majority of these
tumors are benign and should be excised. In the majority of cases there is no
need to cut the nerve out as these tumors can be shelled out.
In some cases they can be malignant and will require additional treatment
such as chemo or radiation. In some instances the tumors are very adherent
to the nerve and may end up with damage to the nerve from surgery. These
risks however are small overall. I think that things should go well
overall. The recommendation is obviously resection of the tumor for both
removal and diagnosis establishment.
Good Luck!