舌に単発した神経鞘腫の1例

SOLITARY NEURILEMMOMA OF THE TONGUE

はじめに

　末梢神経系の腫瘍は，神経鞘腫（neurilemo-ma, neurolemmoma, schwannoma）と神経線維腫（neurofibroma, Recklinghausen病）に大別されるが，最近ではgranular cell myoblas-toma （granular cell schwannoma）もシユワン細胞に由来すると考えている学者^1）2）がある。とくに神経鞘腫と神経線維腫との関係は光顕的，電顕的ならびに組織培養など各方面で種々論ぜられている。われわれは舌に発生した単発性神経鞘腫の1例を経験，電顕的検索を行なう機会を得たので報告する。

A 19-year-old girl noticed a hard tumor without subjective sensation on the tip of the tongue several years ago, which gradually enlarged. At her first visit, it was a 2. 5 × 2. 5 × 2cm. in size, smooth-surfaced, faint yellow-red tumor on the ventral surface of the tongue. It was resected surgically including a thin fibrous capsule.

Histologic specimen showed Antoni's A type with palisading arrangement of oval or spindle-shaped tumor cells and Verocay body formation.

With the electron microscope, the cells were identified as neoplastic schwannian cells because of the existence of the basement membrane, a desmosome-like structure and cell processes in parallel rows.

It might be a kind of benign neoplasm of schwannian cell origine and should be a separate entity from Recklinghausen's disease.