Schwannoma with an unusual anterior chest wall location: A rare case report

Abstract

Chest wall schwannoma is a rare intercostal nerve tumor originating from Schwann cells. Here, we present a case of a 44-year-old woman who presented with symptoms of cough, fever, and left-sided chest pain. A plain chest radiograph was unremarkable and was further evaluated with a contrast-enhanced chest computed tomography (CECT) scan, which showed a well-defined, encapsulated soft-tissue mass in the left anterior first intercostal space. The diagnosis of schwannoma was based on histopathological and immunohistochemical studies of tissue biopsies taken from the lesion. The patient was referred to a higher oncology center for further treatment where he received symptomatic treatment for the pain and cough after which he improved. The patient was discharged and followed up in the clinic. Six months later, the patient underwent another chest CECT, which revealed no growth in size from the first one. Therefore, it was decided to keep the patient in regular follow-up since the lesion remained stable in size.