AB 30. Primary pulmonary neurilemmoma: presentation of two cases
Background: Neurilemmoma is a benign neurogenic tumor of
Schwann cells. It may occur in any peripheral nerve and is often
found in the chest wall and the posterior mediastinum, but primary
intrapulmonary neurilemmoma is extremely rare, accounting 0-2% of all
lung tumors. We present two cases with pulmonary neurilemmoma that
were observed at our Institute.
Patients and methods: The cases of two men, 57 and 42 years old,
presented to our hospital for a routine check. The chest radiography
revealed a nodule in their left and the right lung respectively. Both
patients underwent an operation for surgical resection.
Results: The excised specimens in both cases contained encapsulated, yellowish masses, measuring 2.5 and 5 cm, surrounded by normal
parenchymal tissue. Histologically, they were composed of
highly cellular areas of spindle-shaped cells (Antoni A) and less
cellular areas (Antoni B) with loose myxoid stroma. The S-100
immunohistochemical stain was positive, leading to the diagnosis of
neurilemmoma.
Conclusions: Primary pulmonary neurilemmoma is a rare and slowly
growing benign tumor and has been reported in patients of all ages.
Prognosis is excellent after surgical excision.
