Malignant schwanomma of parotid gland

Abstract

Malignant neoplasms of facial nerve presenting as parotid mass are rare. The incidence of Malignant Schwannoma (MS) in general population is 0.001 % while its incidence in patients with Von Reclinghausen's neurofibromatosis (NF-1) is 4%. A case is presented of a 40-year-old male patient presenting with swelling in right parotid region increasing in size since last 10 years. Computed topography scan examination showed presence of parotid tumour with erosion of temporal bone and intracranial extension. Pre-operative tru-cut biopsy showed histology of pleomorphic adenoma. Patient was subjected to craniofacial resection and final histology turned out to be malignant schwannoma of facial nerve in the parotid gland. Since it's a rare intraparotid tumour, role of histopathology and immonohistochemistry in diagnosing the tumour and review of literature is presented.