How To Diagnose And Treat Schwannomas

When a tumor develops in the peripheral nervous system or the cranial nerves within the Schwann cells, it is called a schwannoma. Schwann cells are responsible for the production of the protective myelin sheath around the axons of nerves. Most often, schwannomas are benign or noncancerous, and in the cases where a schwannoma is cancerous, it will be called a soft tissue sarcoma. One of the most common areas for a schwannoma to form is on the nerve connecting the inner ear to the brain. This is called an acoustic neuroma or a vestibular schwannoma. One of the most common areas where cancerous schwannomas occur is on the sciatic nerve of the leg. Schwannomas do not develop anywhere in the brain or the spinal cord. Symptoms will manifest when the schwannoma has grown large enough to put pressure on the nerves near it. The location of the tumor will be the main influence on what kind of symptoms an individual will experience.