Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor arising in a traumatic neuroma: a case report

A 67-year-old woman with a history of breast cancer presented with a soft tissue mass at the site of a remote, non-neoplastic lumbar surgery. Excisional biopsy revealed a traumatic neuroma. Five years later she re-presented with a rapidly growing, tender nodule at the same site. An excisional biopsy was again performed and revealed a tumor composed of malignant epithelioid and spindle cells merging imperceptibly with residual traumatic neuroma. The malignant cells were positive for vimentin, S-100 and micropthalmia transcription factor. They were negative for cytokeratins, muscle markers, Melan-A, HMB45, glial fibrillary acidic protein, and myelin basic protein. Electron microscopy showed no melanosomes. The diagnosis of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor arising within a long-standing traumatic neuroma was rendered and represents a hitherto unreported origin of this rare, aggressive soft tissue sarcoma.