Two cases of multiple chest wall schwannomas treated by surgical resection

Abstract

This report describes two cases of multiple schwannomas of the chest wall treated by surgical resection. Two 61-year-old women demonstrated abnormal shadows on chest radiographs. Chest CT scans showed chest wall lesions suspected of being multiple benign tumors. The tumors were resected by thoracoscopic surgery and diagnosed as multiple schwannomas. One case had a long history of chest wall tumors presenting very slow-growth over a nineteen-year period. Both cases showed multiple schwannomas originating from the same intercostal nerve.
Intrathoracic schwannoma is usually found in the para-vertebral area, and its location on the chest wall is uncommon. However, there are some case reports of plural schwannomas found on the chest wall close to each other. It is considered that careful inspection of the thoracic cavity is necessary in patients with chest wall schwannoma. Thoracoscopic surgery may be useful to prevent the overlooking of residual lesions.