Schwannoma of the nasal cavity: A case report and a review

Nasal polyps constitute the clinical presentation of a variety of soft tissue lesions involving the nose. Benign nerve sheath tumors are rare lesions that can present in the nasal cavity. Herein, we present a rare case of nasal schwannoma, and we review the clinical and the radiological features of cases published as nasal cavity schwannoma in the English literature. Extensive PubMed search revealed only 17 cases of schwannoma of the nasal cavity reported during the period 2000-2013. The mean age of presentation was 39 years, and a female predilection was observed. The main radiological feature was a homogenous well circumscribed mass on plain radiography with intermediate intensity on T1-weighted and T2-weighted and homogenous enhancement on contrast magnetic resonance imaging. No invasive growth pattern or cranial extension was reported. The histological features of nasal cavity schwannomas were similar to their soft tissue counterparts. The literature shows that malignant cases are rare.