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Neuroblastoma‐like schwannoma of the skull base: an enigmatic peripheral nerve sheath tumor variant
Author(s) -
Kaur Kavneet,
Kakkar Aanchal,
Suri Vaishali,
Garg Ajay,
Sharma Suresh C,
Sharma Bhawani Shankar,
Sarkar Chitra,
Sharma Mehar Chand
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
neuropathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.701
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1440-1789
pISSN - 0919-6544
DOI - 10.1111/neup.12309
Subject(s) - schwannoma , medicine , skull , differential diagnosis , histopathology , pathology , nerve sheath tumor , neuroblastoma , malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor , anatomy , immunohistochemistry , biology , genetics , cell culture
Neuroblastoma‐like schwannoma is an extremely rare histological variant of schwannoma, which histologically mimics a malignant small round cell tumor. Only 19 cases have been reported in the literature to date. We report a case of this tumor located at the skull base in a 44‐year‐old woman who presented with symptoms of right‐sided earache and hearing loss. MRI revealed a large, lobulated, extra‐axial mass measuring 8.8 cm × 3.6 cm × 4.2 cm in the floor of the middle and posterior cranial fossa. Microscopic examination revealed a perplexing histopathology with peculiar collagenous rosettes. Differential diagnoses included a broad range of benign and malignant tumors. Typical schwannoma seldom poses a difficulty in diagnosis; however, this unusual variant is a diagnostic challenge which requires an extensive clinico‐radiological correlation and immunohistochemical work‐up. Hence, knowledge of this entity is a must to avoid erroneous diagnosis and inappropriate treatment.