Schwannoma in disguise, the nasolabial story: report of a rare case

Schwannomas are rare kind of benign neural tumors. They arise from Schwann cells of the neural sheath of peripheral, cranial, or autonomic nerves. Of twenty five percent of all Schwannomas located in the head and neck, only 1% have intraoral presentation. Due to its abysmal rate of occurrence, it makes a less likely diagnosis in case of oropharyngeal masses, leading to delay in identification and treatment. The most definitive way to diagnose this tumor is by its histopathologic and immunohistochemical examination. We report an interesting case of a patient with a mass located in the nasolabial region, which initially had presentations similar to a nasolabial cyst, but finally turned out to be a Schwannoma. There has been no sign of recurrence almost two years after surgery. The importance of considering Schwannoma as a differential diagnosis can’t be stressed enough since it is increasing in incidence of late.