Neurogenic sarcomas of the neck in neurofibromatosis

Intermittent dysphagia revealing a lateropharyngeal neurofibroma in a child: Case report: A case report

Introduction

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is an disorder characterised by various phenotypic features like hyperpigmented spots, neurofibromas, Lisch nodules, skeletal abnormalities and tendency to develop neoplasms.

Case presentation

We present the case of a 12-year-old patient referred by his pediatrician for intermittent dysphagia and a sensation of food attachment, in whom several café-au-lait spots on the body had been found, and a case of type 1 neurofibromatosis in the patient's siblings. The decision was to closely follow-up the patient, the progression of his symptoms and the size of the cervical neurofibroma. The patient's current follow-up has been two years, with a minimal increase in the frequency of episodes of dysphagia, and with Ct-scan performed every year. No major growth of the cervical mass was noted.

Discussion

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterised by various phenotypic features like hyperpigmented spots, neurofibromas, Lisch nodules, skeletal abnormalities and tendency to develop neoplasms.

Conclusion

The treatment is not codified and abstention therapeutic may be a wise decision.

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NF1 shows an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance and wide phenotypical variability.

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Neurofibromatosis type 1 is a neurogenetic disorder.

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The cervical soft tissues may also be the primary site for tumors.

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The treatment is not codified.

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Abstention therapeutic may be a wise decision.

Primary mediastinal tumors: part II. Tumors of the middle and posterior mediastinum

Lymphoma, mediastinal cysts, and neurogenic neoplasms are the most common primary middle and posterior mediastinal tumors. Lymphoma may involve the anterior, middle and/or posterior mediastinum, frequently as lymphadenopathy or as a discrete mass. Foregut cysts are common congenital mediastinal cysts and frequently arise in the middle mediastinum. Pericardial cysts are rare. Schwannoma and neurofibroma are benign peripheral nerve neoplasms, represent the most common mediastinal neurogenic tumors, and rarely degenerate into malignant tumors of nerve sheath origin. Sympathetic ganglia tumors include benign ganglioneuroma and malignant ganglioneuroblastoma and neuroblastoma. Lateral thoracic meningocele is a rare cause of a posterior mediastinal mass.

Malignant schwannoma of the parapharyngeal space in von Recklinghausen's disease: a case report and review of the literature

Neurofibromatosis (NF) or von Recklinghausen's disease is frequently accompanied by malignant tumours, which can occur at any site in the body. These malignancies are mainly of soft tissue origin. Of all head and neck malignancies, the number of soft tissue sarcomas is limited and in combination with NF this type of tumour is a rare event. In this report we describe the clinical course of a young female patient with NF, who presented with a massive malignant schwannoma in the parapharyngeal space, and review the pertinent literature.

Superficial malignant schwannoma on the face: a case for early radical surgery

A case of superficial epithelioid schwannoma is presented. The lesion arose as a skin papule in the infra-orbital region and recurring repeatedly over a five-year period, caused significant local morbidity without metastasis. Radical surgery was delayed in the hope of preserving binocular vision. The similarity of this tumour with a rare variant of malignant melanoma, the neurotropic melanoma, is discussed.

Childhood neurofibromatosis: risk factors for malignant disease

Forty-five children with both neurofibromatosis and malignant tumors were compared with a pediatric population with neurofibromatosis without tumors to ascertain if any of the clinical manifestations of this disorder were associated with either tumor development or histology. No such factors emerged except that, in most of the optic glioma patients, the neurofibromatosis mutation was paternally inherited. Concordance of histologic tumor types was seen when malignancies occurred in affected family members, similar to that noted in the literature. Although cancer is independent of the other manifestations of neurofibromatosis and these manifestations may vary among family members, it appears that malignant tumors are often concordant when they occur within a family.