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Tongue Schwannoma: A Clinicopathologic Study of 19 Cases

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Abstract

Schwannomas commonly occur in the head and neck but infrequently involve the oral cavity and rarely affect the tongue. The clinical and pathologic features of 19 cases of schwannoma arising in the tongue were analyzed. There were 13 males and 6 females ranging in age from 12 to 82 years (mean 34 years; median 29 years). The majority of tumors presented as an asymptomatic mass localized to the anterior two-thirds of the tongue. Histologically, 18 schwannomas exhibited characteristic Antoni A and B areas with the former pattern predominating. One tumor was composed exclusively of cellular Antoni A tissue and was classified as a cellular schwannoma. Tumor encapsulation was variable with nearly half of the lesions lacking a well-defined fibrous capsule. All were strongly and diffusely positive for S-100 protein. No recurrences were observed on clinical follow-up. Schwannoma of the tongue, although rare, should be separated from other types of lingual nerve sheath proliferations and tumors.

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Acknowledgments

The views expressed are those of the authors solely and do not represent endorsement from Southern California Permanente Medical Group.

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No external funding was obtained for this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Southern California Permanente Medical Group, Department of Pathology, Woodland Hills Medical Center, 5601 De Soto Avenue, Woodland Hills, CA, 91365, USA

    Lester D. R. Thompson

  2. Southern California Permanente Medical Group, Department of Pathology, Orange County-Anaheim Medical Center, Anaheim, CA, USA

    Stephen S. Koh & Sean K. Lau

Authors
  1. Lester D. R. Thompson
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  2. Stephen S. Koh
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  3. Sean K. Lau
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Correspondence to Lester D. R. Thompson.

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All procedures performed in this retrospective data analysis involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional review board (IRB #5968), which did not require informed consent.

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Thompson, L.D.R., Koh, S.S. & Lau, S.K. Tongue Schwannoma: A Clinicopathologic Study of 19 Cases. Head and Neck Pathol 14, 571–576 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12105-019-01071-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12105-019-01071-9

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