[A case of schwannomatosis--clinical, pathological and biochemical studies]

A case of schwannomatosis is described, including clinical, pathological and biochemical features. A 16-year-old male patient was admitted because of multiple subcutaneous tumors without family history. No café au lait spots were found. Magnetic resonance images (MRI) revealed multiple tumors of cranial and spinal nerves. The tumors in the scalp, right forearm and left spinal nerve at the level of C5 were excised out surgically. The pathological study of all tumor specimens showed a typical appearance of schwannoma with Antoni A and B tissues but not that of neurofibroma. Electrophoretic study of the extract from the tumor detected a basic protein at a molecular weight of 18.5 KD, which has been reported to be a tumor marker protein of benign schwannoma. From these findings, this patient had the features of schwannomatosis, clearly distinguished from those of neurofibromatosis.