Schwannomatozis of the Chest Wall: FDG PET Findings

Abstract

Authors present a rare case of bifocal schwannoma of thoracic wall showing metabolic activity on FDG PET images. A 43-year-old male with palpable mass on lateral chest wall was referred for F-18 FDG PET/CT imaging for differential diagnosis. His medical history and basic laboratory results were unremarkable. PET/CT images revealed a mild FDG uptake in the solid soft tissue mass in the left lateral chest wall that was growing outside of the thorax. It was located in 7th intercostal space and adjacent ribs were intact. Incidentally, second mass lesion was detected in the right posterior seventh intercostal space protruding to the pleural space and showing higher FDG uptake on PET/CT images. The lesions were surgically removed at the same session for definite diagnosis and treatment. Histopathologic evaluation of both lesions revealed benign schwannoma.

Schwannoma of Left Chest Wall: a Case Report and Literature Review

“…Chest wall schwannoma, which is seldom seen, originates from Schwann cells of the nerve sheath (2). It is a lobulated or spherical solitary, encapsulated tumor that grows slowly in the retromediastinal pleural cavity (3,4). Schwannoma accounts for about 5% of all benign soft tissue tumors; it is most common in spinal cord and nerve root, protruding from paravertebral to mediastinum, and rarely in chest wall.…”