Children (Jan 2022)

Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors—A Comprehensive Review of Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Multidisciplinary Management

  • Samantha W. E. Knight,
  • Tristan E. Knight,
  • Teresa Santiago,
  • Andrew J. Murphy,
  • Abdelhafeez H. Abdelhafeez

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/children9010038
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9, no. 1
p. 38

Abstract

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Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) are aggressive soft tissue sarcomas (STS) with nerve sheath differentiation and a tendency to metastasize. Although occurring at an incidence of 0.001% in the general population, they are relatively common in individuals with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), for whom the lifetime risk approaches 10%. The staging of MPNSTs is complicated and requires close multi-disciplinary collaboration. Their primary management is most often surgical in nature, with non-surgical modalities playing a supportive, necessary role, particularly in metastatic, invasive, or widespread disease. We, therefore, sought to provide a comprehensive review of the relevant literature describing the characteristics of these tumors, their pathophysiology and risk factors, their diagnosis, and their multi-disciplinary treatment. A close partnership between surgical and medical oncologists is therefore necessary. Advances in the molecular characterization of these tumors have also begun to allow the integration of targeted RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK pathway inhibitors into MPNST management.

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