NEUROFIBROMA AND NEUROFIBROSARCOMA OF PERIPHERAL NERVES

Abstract

Neoplasms of the peripheral nervous system are relatively uncommon, but their occasional occurrence and variable prognosis warrant their study with a view to standardizing, as far as possible, the methods of treatment. New growths of the cutaneous nerves and nerve trunks have long been recognized when they occur in the form of Recklinghausen's disease, and the problems relevant to this condition have been well recorded in the past and current literature. Less attention has been paid, however, to the isolated tumors of nerves when unaccompanied by generalized neurofibromatosis, and it is our purpose in this communication to record our experiences with this type of growth. The twenty-five cases herewith presented illustrate the various pathologic changes and indicate the sites at which neurofibroma and neurofibrosarcoma of the peripheral nerves are commonly encountered. While the distal portions of the cranial nerves do not strictly belong to the "peripheral nerves," we have taken