A Case of Granular Cell Tumor Arising at the Zygomatic Region

Abstract

Granular cell tumors are rare soft tissue tumors, derived from Schwann cells. About half of them occur in the head and neck, but a case with tumor arising in the zygomatic region has not been reported to our knowledge. We report a case of granular cell tumor arising in the zygomatic region. A 57-year-old woman was referred to our hospital because of cheek swelling. MRI findings showed a benign tumor, so the patient wished follow-up. However, the tumor gradually grew in size for 11 months, as was confirmed by MRI. Since the patient desired removal of the tumor, the operation was performed by the intraoral and subcilial approach. The histopathological diagnosis was granular cell tumor. Judging from the operative finding, we supposed the origin of the tumor to be the zygomaticofacial nerve which is a branch of the maxillary nerve. Twenty-six months after the operation, there was no sign of recurrence.