The Peripheral Manifestations of the Specific Nerve Sheath Tumor (Neurilemoma)

TLDR

Peripheral nerve sheath tumors are well studied when attached to spinal or cranial nerves, yet their peripheral manifestations have not been comprehensively reviewed, and existing reports are fragmented, giving the impression that they are rare when they may be underrecognized. This paper aims to synthesize the accumulated clinical and pathological facts about specific peripheral nerve sheath tumors. The study reports 52 tumors in 50 new cases, compared with only 194 adequately described cases from the past century, underscoring that the perceived rarity of these tumors is likely an underestimate.

Abstract

Introduction It is the purpose of this paper to discuss the clinical and pathological facts which have accumulated about the specific peripheral nerve sheath tumors. It has seemed worth while to do this because, although a great deal is known about this specific tumor type when it is found attached to the spinal nerve roots and to the intracranial portions of the cranial nerves, its appearance elsewhere in the body has not been studied in a comprehensive fashion. A great many articles have been written about individual tumors or small groups of them, but this information has not been synthesized. The impression exists that they are rare, but it seems as if this must be simply because they frequently go unrecognized. When it is realized that 52 tumors in 50 new cases are being reported in this paper, and that only 194 adequately described additional cases could be collected from the literature of the past hundred years, the cogency of this statement will be appreciated.