Schwannoma originating from the recurrent laryngeal nerve in a thyroid cancer patient: A case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND: Schwannoma rarely originates from the recurrent laryngeal nerve, and there are few reports on schwannoma originating from the recurrent nerve in the mediastinum. Herein, we present an extremely rare case of schwannoma originating from the recurrent laryngeal nerve in the neck. CASE SUMMARY: This is a case report of one patient diagnosed with thyroid cancer with schwannoma originating from the recurrent laryngeal nerve in the neck, which was incidentally found during a thyroidectomy, and a review of the literature. CONCLUSION: Preoperative diagnostic examinations are of less use for detecting schwannoma originating from a recurrent laryngeal nerve in the neck in such small size, which may only incidentally be found during a thyroidectomy. Surgical excision with opening the capsule and shelling out the tumor is the treatment of choice. If the nerve is unable to be preserved, end-to-end recurrent laryngeal nerve anastomosis may be a simple and minimally invasive reconstruction procedure to improve phonation.