ABSTRACT
Neurofibroma is a benign tumor of the peripheral nerves, resulting from abnormal proliferation of Schwann cells. It is composed of nerve fibers, transformed Schwann cells, blood vessels, inflammatory white blood cells, and connective tissue. Schwann cells are a type of glial cells that wrap and maintain peripheral nerve fibers. Neurofibroma affects people of various ages with no sex predilection. Neurofibroma is an intraneural mass that is likely to be more painful than schwannoma. Percussion over a neurofibroma usually produces a dramatic Tinel sign. Atypical neurofibromas often present as solitary or multiple tumors that are slow growing, small, soft, and painless nodules protruding from the skin. The clinical diagnosis of neurofibroma is based on characteristic cutaneous, ophthalmologic, musculoskeletal, and neurological manifestations. Treatment options for neurofibroma are surgery, radiotherapy, and/or chemotherapy. Chemotherapy remains one of the important components of tumor management, with regimens most often including carboplatin with vincristine.
