Mesenchymal differentiation in trigeminal neurilemmoma

Abstract

An unusual neurilemmoma of the trigeminal nerve in a 31‐year‐old woman is described. The neoplasm was roentgenographically calcified and contained various types of mesenchymal tissue, including a cavernous angioma, cartilage, bone, and adipose tissue. Angioma in combination with neurilemmoma occurs more frequently than other forms of mesenchymal tissue. Lipoma is an uncommon component of neoplasms affecting the cranial nerves. Cartilage and bone are rarely encountered in benign intracranial neurilemmomas. The histogenesis of this combined neoplasm is discussed in relation to the ectomesenchymal properties of the neural crest.

Benign dermal Schwannoma with glandular elements-true heterology or a local 'organizer' effect?

“…Other mesenchymal components, such as angiosarcoma or liposarcoma, may be identified but less often (D' Agostino et al, 1963b;Chaudhuri, Ronan & Manaligod, 1980;Ducatman & Scheithauer, 1984). A similar phenomenon is also very occasionally seen in benign neural neoplasms, being usually rhabdomyomatous in nature (although some would regard these benign 'Triton' tumours as hamartomas) (Kasantikul, Brown &Netsky, 1982;Markel& Enzinger, 1982;Azzopardi e?a/., 1983;Enzinger & Weiss, 1983;Hcrak, Szcntirmary & Sugar, 1983).…”

Prevalence and clinicopathological characteristics of lipomatous neurofibromas in neurofibromatosis 1: An investigation of 229 cutaneous neurofibromas and a systematic review of the literature

“…In the 15 years since the first publication, Lnf pathogenesis remains obscure. Besides neurofibromas, the presence of adipocytes may occur in other tumors of neuroectodermal origin, that is, schwannoma, perineurioma, and melanocytic nevi . Eng et al studying melanocytic nevi with adipocytes, concluded that occurrence of fat cells within nevi is probably a multifactorial process, and suggested that increased overall body fat and interactions of endogenous hormones, cytokines, or both (i.e., leptin, insulin, glucagon, fructose, and thyroid hormone) may be related to the presence of adipocytes in those lesions.…”

Lipomatous ganglioneuroma of the retroperitoneum

“…Thus, it is likely that the adipocytes in the tumor derive from the tumor cells themselves, adipocytic differentiation or lipometaplasia. Although the occurrence of divergent differentiation is a relatively uncommon event in neuroectodermal tumors, lipomatous change has been previously observed in neurofibroma, 6,7 schwannoma, 8–10 neurocytoma, 11,12 medulloblastoma, 13,14 astrocytoma, 15,16 ependymoma, 17 and primitive neuroectodermal tumor 18 . Because the neural crest is considered ectomesenchyme capable of differentiating into various cell types, tumor cells originating in the neural crest may have the capacity of lipomatous differentiation.…”