A Case of Rapid Growth of Schwannoma of the Soft Palate After Biopsy

Schwannoma is a relatively common disease of the head and neck region, but its occurrence in the palate is rather rare. We report a case of a soft palate schwannoma that enlarged over time to occupy the oral cavity. A 39-year-old man visited a nearby clinic with the chief complaints of pharyngeal pain and dysphagia. Examination revealed a submucosal tumor in the middle of the soft palate. CT and MRI revealed findings suggestive of a schwannoma measuring 42 mm in diameter. But at the time of the patient’s visit, the tumor was growing rapidly. Therefore, a biopsy was performed, which confirmed the diagnosis of a benign schwannoma. However, as there was still a possibility of malignancy clinically, based on the growth rate of the tumor, the patient was referred to our hospital. We immediately performed surgery with total excision of the tumor. Histopathological examination revealed presence of the characteristic Antoni A and Antoni B areas, and the Ki-67 labelling index was 6.7%, confirming the diagnosis of benign schwannoma. The surgical site healed well and the patient was able to resume oral intake. There were no signs of tumor recurrence until the follow-up examination at 1 year after the surgery.