Schwannoma Arising in a Lymph Node - A Brief Case Report -

Abstract

Intranodal schwannomas are extremely rare and only three cases have currently been reported in the English language literature. We report here on a case of a schwannoma that arose in a retroperitoneal lymph node. A 59-year-old male patient had experienced abdominal discomfort for two months. An abdominal CT scan demonstrated a heterogeneous density mass in the retroperitoneum. Histological examination of the mass identified it as a lymph node due to the presence of a peripheral rim of compressed lymphoid tissue that contained a well-demarcated benign spindle cell tumor in its center. The spindle cells were positive for S-100 protein, and they were negative for smooth muscle actin, desmin, and CD 34. Although an intranodal schwannoma is histologically benign, it is important to distinguish this lesion from an intranodal metastasis of a spindle cell tumor and other common benign spindle cell tumors that can arise in a lymph node.