Schwannoma-like pleomorphic adenoma: A pathological quandary

Pleomorphic adenoma usually presents as a painless growing mass in locations of the salivary glands and is notorious for local recurrence if previous surgical resection is incomplete. Schwannoma is a benign peripheral nerve tumor with microscopic features of sheets of spindle-shaped cells with nuclear palisading. However, when a pathologist encounters a salivary gland tumor with microscopic morphological features of biphasic components with areas of schwannoma-like morphology, it is crucial to make a prudent diagnosis by differentiating Schwannoma-like pleomorphic adenoma and its differential diagnosis as they have remarkably different outcome in patients. We herein present a case of Schwannoma-like pleomorphic adenoma and discuss its approach to diagnosis and literature search.