Floor of mouth schwannoma mimicking a salivary gland neoplasm: a report of the case and review of the literature

Abstract

Schwannomas or neurilemmomas are slow-growing, benign and often firm lumps that are typically painless. They are extremely rare in the oral cavity, with the tongue and the palate being the most common intraoral sites. This is a case report of this pathology in the floor of the mouth. We present a case of a 28-year-old female patient with a 2-month history of a floor of mouth swelling. On clinical examination this was non-tender and appeared firm. An ultrasound of the lesion was performed which revealed a well-defined, rounded and low reflective soft tissue mass. Following an MRI scan and surgical excision of the lesion, a definitive diagnosis of a schwannoma was made. The presence of schwannoma in the oral cavity is unusual. Based on the literature and the presented case, it should be considered as a differential diagnosis until the final histopathological confirmation.