SCHWANNOMA OF THE POSTERIOR TONGUE IN A THIRTEEN-YEAR OLD CHILD

Schwannoma is a benign tumor that originates from the presence of Schwann cells of the peripheral nerves. They are usually asymptomatic, do not recur, and malignant transformation is rare. The tongue is the most common site, followed by the palate, floor of mouth, buccal mucosa, lips, and jaws. It can present itself at any age. Usually, this lesion is not taken into account during clinical practice and the differential diagnosis includes numerous benign neoformations based on epithelial and connective tissues. We describe a clinical case of Schwannoma located in the tongue of a 13-year-old patient. On intraoral examination, a submucosal nodular lesion was observed, located in the left tongue and was covered with normal appearing mucosa and measuring approximately 3 x 2 cm. The lesion was moderately firm and was not fixed to the surrounding tissues. There was no pain on touch. From these data the provisional diagnosis was established as some benign soft-tissue neoplasm process. The lesion was excised with a small border of clinically uninvolved surrounding tissue, intraoral and patient evolved satisfactorily, with no recurrence six years after surgery. The histopathological diagnosis of benign schwannoma was confirmed. The patient has been followed up for 6 years and there has been no evidence of recurrence