Cellular Schwannoma of the Palate Simulating as Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor: A Diagnostic Marathon

Abstract

Schwannomas are considered benign soft tissue tumors that originate from Schwann cells. Oral Schwannomas are rare and account for only 1% of all Schwannomas. Cellularschwannoma (CS) is a rare histological variant of schwannoma, characterized by high cellularity and cellular atypia. We present a case of localized growth of palatal mucosa that imitated the features of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) on histopathological examination; it was differentiated from MPNST by the correlation of clinical, histopathological, and immunohistochemical features.

Keywords

• schwannoma
• malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor
• oral neoplasms
• neurilemmoma
• immunohistochemistry