Disease directory
Schwannoma (cutaneous)
Published: September 18, 2026Updated: September 18, 2026
Important: Informational content intended for healthcare professionals. It does not replace clinical evaluation or establish a doctor-patient relationship.
Overview
- Definition and synonyms
- Cutaneous schwannoma : benign tumor of nerve sheath, well-defined, usually encapsulated, originating from cutaneous nerve branches (dermis and/or subcutaneous cellular tissue), made up almost entirely of Schwann cells.
- Synonyms: neurilemmoma , Verocay neuroma , cutaneous schwannoma , superficial schwannoma ( Rodriguez 2012 , Magro 2022 )
- History
- Schwannomas were described as “neurinomas” by José Juan Verocay in 1910 , who identified the bodies that bear his name ( Ortiz-Hidalgo 2004 ).
- The Antoni A/B areas were described by Nils Antoni in 1920; later Stout popularized the term neurilemmoma and Harkin & Reed consolidated the term schwannoma in the modern classification ( Joshi 2012 , Hilton 2014 ).
- Epidemiology
- The estimated global prevalence of benign schwannoma (all locations) is ~1–9/100,000 inhabitants; most are sporadic and solitary tumors Hilton 2014 .
- Up to 90% of schwannomas are sporadic and solitary ; the rest occur in the context of NF2-related schwannomatosis or SMARCB1/LZTR1-associated schwannomatosis ( Pellerino 2023 , Magro 2022 ).
- Age: peak in young and middle-aged adults (3rd–5th decade) , but can be seen from childhood to old age ( Chikkannaiah 2016 , Majumder 2021 , Fujimura 2014 , Gupta 2023 ) .
- Sex: no clear predominance, with similar distribution between men and women in series of peripheral schwannomas ( Majumder 2021 , Arcot 2012 ) .
- Location: Schwannoma can appear in any peripheral nerve; cutaneous forms mainly affect the head and neck, trunk, limbs (including acral limbs), scalp, and labial region ( Patel 2017 , Gutte 2014 , Mohan 2013 , Gupta 2023 ) .
- Multiple cutaneous schwannomas , especially plexiform schwannomas, are associated with NF2/schwannomatosis ( Reith 1996 , Attia 2011 , Ko 2009 ) .
- ICD Codes
- ICD-10-CM (benign peripheral nerve sheath tumor, includes cutaneous schwannoma):
- D36.1 Benign neoplasm of peripheral nerves and autonomic nervous system.
- Subcodes by location (e.g. D36.11 face/head/neck, D36.12 upper limb, D36.13 lower limb, etc.)
- ICD-11 : General category 2F3Y – Benign peripheral nerve sheath tumor , with histopathological extension XH98Z3 – Schwannoma, NOS
- ICD-10-CM (benign peripheral nerve sheath tumor, includes cutaneous schwannoma):
- Diagnostic checklist (quick)
- Essential clinic
- Solitary, slow-growing dermal/subcutaneous nodule
- Compatible location (head/neck, trunk, limbs, acral).
- Pain/paresthesia on pressure or local Tinel’s sign (yes/no).
- History of multiple lesions or family history of NF2/schwannomatosis (yes/no).
- Imaging studies (if applicable)
- Ultrasound or MRI if: large size, relationship with major nerve, neurological deficit, plexiform/deep suspicion.
- Biopsy
- Complete excision (preferred) or deep incisional excision including dermis-hypodermis.
- Fixation in 10% formalin; correct location labeling.
- Before closing the case
- Check for predisposing syndrome criteria (NF2/schwannomatosis, Carney) → refer to Genetics if appropriate.
- Confirm clear margins in excision.
- Schedule clinical follow-up (at least 1–2 years in atypical or plexiform variants).
- Essential clinic
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