What are cutaneous neurofibromas?

The cutaneous neurofibroma (cNF) is a neoplasm of peripheral nerve Schwann cells that presents as a soft nodule in the dermis of the skin at virtually any location in the body.

Can neurofibroma be seen on MRI?

MRI has proven useful in evaluating internal lesions such as mediastinal masses, spinal cord tumors, deep plexiform neurofibromas, neurofibromas of the brachial or sacral plexus, and abdominopelvic lesions.

Are cutaneous neurofibromas painful?

Neurofibromas appear as one or more lumps on or under the skin. They may be painful or itch, but many do not cause any symptoms. Neurofibromas growing deep in the body can cause pain, numbness, tingling or weakness if they press on nerves.

Are neurofibromas tumors cancerous?

Nerve tumors known as neurofibromas are benign or non-cancerous tumors that grow on nerves throughout the body. While they are seen in people without NF1, the presence of two or more of these tumors should raise the suspicion of NF1. There are three major types of neurofibroma: cutaneous, spinal and plexiform.

Are cutaneous neurofibromas benign?

Discrete lesions are often referred to as dermal or cutaneous neurofibromas. cNF are benign and, unlike plexiform neurofibromas (pNF), are not known to have any malignant potential.

How do you get rid of neurofibromatosis?

There are many ways to remove neurofibromas. Usually a neurofibroma is “excised”, meaning “cut out”, by a scalpel or other means; or they are “destroyed” by electrosurgery. The tumors may also be destroyed (ablated) by desiccation (dehydration or drying), or vaporized using electrosurgery.

What is the difference between schwannoma and neurofibroma?

Neurofibromas are benign, heterogeneous peripheral nerve sheath tumours arising from the connective tissue of peripheral nerve sheaths, especially the endoneurium. Schwannomas are benign encapsulated tumours originating from the Schwann cells of the peripheral nervous system.

Can neurofibromatosis be removed?

If you have neurofibromas that are causing you distress, you may elect to have them removed. They are often, but not always covered by insurance, Medicare and Medicaid with proper physician documentation.

What kind of MRI is used to diagnose neurofibroma?

We present the MRI of a young adult female patient with diffuse cutaneous neurofibromatosis. Neurofibromas are benign tumours of the peripheral nerves that develop from the proliferation of Schwann cells, perineural cells and endoneural fibroblasts. 9 Diffuse neurofibroma is characterized by infiltration of skin or soft tissues.

What are the symptoms of diffuse cutaneous neurofibroma?

Diffuse cutaneous neurofibromatosis causes plaque-like elevation of the skin with thickening of the entire subcutis but without nodular masses 1,3,4. Diffuse cutaneous neurofibromas usually have fairly non-specific signal intensity 1 : Again, unlike plexiform neurofibromas, malignant transformation is uncommon 1,4.

Can a neurofibroma become a malignant nerve tumor?

They are mostly indolent tumors that rarely only undergo malignant transformation into a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST); this is only really seen in large neurofibromas, and even then it only occurs in 5-10% of tumors 6 .

When to know if you have neurofibroma type 1?

Peak presentation is between 20 and 30 years of age 5 with no sex predilection. The majority of localized intraneural neurofibromas are solitary and sporadic and not associated with neurofibromatosis type 1 . However, when multiple neurofibromas are present (or plexiform neurofibromas) then the diagnosis of NF1 is almost assured.