Benign cutaneous epithelioid schwannoma - Case report and review of the literature

Benign peripheral nerve sheath tumors are relatively common. They are mostly characterized by the presence of delicate S-shaped spindle cells and myxoid stroma. Although variants with epithelioid foci can be present, the pure epithelioid variant of benign cutaneous schwannoma is extremely rare. It was first reported as cutaneous epithelial schwannoma by Kindblom et al in 1998. Since then, only six cases have been reported. Care should be taken not to misdiagnose them as malignant neoplasms. Their diagnosis can be problematic as their histopathologic features may overlap with those of other soft-tissue and melanocytic tumors. We report a case of cutaneous epithelioid schwannoma and review of the literature.