Benevello C, Sommacale D, Palladino E, Bildea A, Tres I, Volpin E. A rare case of malignant schwannoma of the brachial plexus. World J Surg Proced 2013; 3(1): 1-3 [DOI: 10.5412/wjsp.v3.i1.1]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Dr. Chiara Benevello, Department of Neurosurgery, Bicetre Hospital, Paris-Sud University, 7 rue la Feuillade, 75001 Paris, France. chiarab1979@libero.it
Article-Type of This Article
Case Report
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Chiara Benevello, Department of Neurosurgery, Bicetre Hospital, Paris-Sud University, 75001 Paris, France
Daniele Sommacale, Department of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary and Transplantation Surgery, Beaujon Hospital, Paris VII University, 92118 Clichy, France
Elisa Palladino, Department of General Surgery, Robert Debre Hospital, 51092 Reims, France
Adriana Bildea, Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Le Mans Hospital, 72037 Le Mans, France
Iolanda Tres, Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Villa d’Agri Hospital, Marsicovetere, 85050 Potenza, Italy
Enrico Volpin, Department of General Surgery, Le Mans Hospital, 72037 Le Mans, France
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Correspondence to: Dr. Chiara Benevello, Department of Neurosurgery, Bicetre Hospital, Paris-Sud University, 7 rue la Feuillade, 75001 Paris, France. chiarab1979@libero.it
Telephone: +33-6-26211502 Fax: +39-1-19790160
Received: July 5, 2012 Revised: September 24, 2012 Accepted: November 17, 2012 Published online: March 28, 2013
Abstract
We report a rare case of malignant schwannoma of the brachial plexus treated during a surgical campaign aimed at the poorest communities in the Cuzco region of Peru. A Peruvian 40-year-old-female from a mountain community presented with a mass on the lateral side of her left supraclavicular space. No imaging tools were available during this surgical campaign and so a biopsy of the tumor was carried out. Histopathological examination revealed it to be a low grade malignant schwannoma. A nerve enucleation of the tumor was chosen as neither chemotherapy nor radiotherapy was available. The tumour was a firm mass 4 cm x 3 cm x 2 cm in size. After excision of the lesion the patient presented neurological sequelae (deltoid, bicep, and tricep weakness) but her condition improved over the next 3 years. We report this case of malignant schwannoma of the brachial plexus as its incidence is very rare (the reported incidence is 0.001%) and because of its challenging treatment in poor healthcare conditions.
