Schwannoma of the Left Foot

Abstract

In this article, we present a 25-year-old man who developed an asymptomatic schwannoma on his left lateral heel and review the salient features of this cutaneous condition. A schwannoma is a slowly growing neoplasm of Schwann cell origin. Histology shows high cellularity (Antoni A regions), nuclear palisades (Verocay bodies), and alternating myxoid regions (Antoni B regions). Very few cases have been reported on the foot or ankle. As with this patient, most schwannomas do not cause symptoms, but some result in dysesthesia and nerve dysfunction. Multiple schwannomas may indicate an underlying syndrome such as neurofibromatosis type 1, type 2, and schwannomatosis. The differential diagnosis for schwannoma includes fibrosarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, and neurofibroma. The definitive treatment is surgical excision. This usually results in complete resolution with minimal recurrence, as was the case for this patient.