Peripheral nerve sheath tumors are uncommon. Although surgical resection remains the treatment of choice for most symptomatic lesions, the potential for intraoperative injury to the nerve is not insignificant. This concern is of particular relevance in those patients with a genetic proclivity to develop multiple peripheral nerve sheath tumors. Here we report four symptomatic peripheral extremity schwannomas all in 1 patient who was treated with CyberKnife radiosurgery. The radiosurgical Dmax in each case was between 24.4 and 25.32 Gy. At 1-year follow-up, patient symptoms had been ameliorated, no tumor had increased in size and there was no compromise in neurological function. Although this experience is still very preliminary, it represents the first published description of a peripheral nerve sheath tumor being treated with stereotactic radiosurgery.
Copyright 2006 S. Karger AG, Basel.