How To Diagnose And Treat Schwannomas

When a tumor develops in the peripheral nervous system or the cranial nerves within the Schwann cells, it is called a schwannoma. Schwann cells are responsible for the production of the protective myelin sheath around the axons of nerves. Most often, schwannomas are benign or noncancerous, and in the cases where a schwannoma is cancerous, it will be called a soft tissue sarcoma. One of the most common areas for a schwannoma to form is on the nerve connecting the inner ear to the brain. This is called an acoustic neuroma or a vestibular schwannoma. One of the most common areas where cancerous schwannomas occur is on the sciatic nerve of the leg.