Primary pleural schwannoma: a rare case report

Schwannomas are peripheral nerve sheath tumors that rarely arise from autonomic nerves of the pleural lining. Most often, they present as slow-growing tumors and are asymptomatic. Herein, we describe the case of an elderly male patient who presented with severe chest pain. An initial chest X-ray detected a suspicious lung lesion. Further examination with a positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) scan revealed a hypermetabolic mass in the base of the left pleura. A core needle biopsy of the lesion showed features consistent with a benign pleural schwannoma on histopathological assessment. It is crucial for clinicians and radiologists to recognize this unusual presentation to properly diagnose and appropriately treat patients with this type of tumor, as malignant lesions-whether primary or metastatic-are always part of the differential diagnosis in such cases.