Giant Ancient Schwannoma of the Posterior Mediastinum Cytologically Misdiagnosed as a Malignant Tumour. A Case Report

Abstract

We report a case of a 45-year old woman who was found to have a giant mediastinal tumour with radiological degenerative changes. She underwent thoracotomy to remove the mass, which was eventually diagnosed histolo-gically as an ancient schwannoma, whereas cytological interpretation of the accompanying pleural fluid was malignant. Ancient schwannoma is a rare variant of schwannoma, histologically showing atypical features that may result in erroneous diagnosis of a malignant tumour. Clinical and radiological findings are important aids for further consideration of surgical removal of these potentially resectable tumours.

Key Words:

• Ancient schwannoma
• mediastinum
• surgery

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M. Kara

M. Kara Güvenlik caddesi Esenlik sokak 7/10 06540, A§agiayranci TUR-Ankara, Turkey Tel.: + 90 312 4670054 Fax: + 90 312 437778 E-mail: [email protected]