A case of infected schwannoma mimicking malignant tumor

BACKGROUND: Infected schwannoma has been reported, this being one of the four cases published in the literature. Infected schwannoma has proven to be a tough diagnostic challenge to the treating tumor surgeon, mimicking infectious entities and most essentially, a malignant tumor. CASE PRESENTATION: The authors report the case of a 64-year-old male with a soft tissue mass in his right gluteal area that presented initially with right leg pain, then later with signs of inflammation on the tumor area. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and thallium-201 scintigraphy studies confirm the presence of soft tissue mass which had continuity with sciatic nerve, with subsequent serial MRI findings suggesting tumor enlargement with cystic degeneration. Increased level of C-reactive protein (CRP) was observed before surgery. During an open biopsy upon tissue sampling, exudates with necrotic tissue were seen. Increased level of CRP and necrotic change suggested the possibility of malignant tumor. Histopathological diagnosis was schwannoma, and group B Streptococcus was detected by culture. After the confirmation of infected schwannoma, enucleation of the tumor was performed. CONCLUSIONS: The report concludes that establishment of a benign pathology is essential when presented with similar clinical findings prior to definitive enucleation of an infected schwannoma.