Ancient Schwannoma Misdiagnosed as a Hemangioma in the Ventral Tongue

ABSTRACT

Schwannomas originate from the Schwann cells in the neural sheath of the peripheral nerves. Ancient schwannoma is one of five variants, and its characteristics include histopathological degeneration and diffuse hypocellular areas. Histopathological features show degenerative changes and atypical nuclei can easily be confused with malignant neoplasms. These cellular atypisms are caused solely by degenerative changes. Ancient schwannomas have been reported 17 cases of in the oral cavity and five cases in the ventral tongue, including the floor of the mouth. We report a new case of an ancient schwannoma, misdiagnosed as a hemangioma with a 10-year evolution, located in the ventral tongue of a 29-year-old female.