Quiz Form

Question Date: 12/10/2023

Question: A 51-year-old woman who presented with a 1-year history of progressive left cervical radicular pain and dysesthesia in her left middle finger was found to have a minimally enhancing intradural extramedullary mass adjacent to the left C7 nerve root. The mass was resected, and histologic examination revealed a schwannoma with no malignant features. Which of the following subsequent management approaches is most appropriate?

Options:

• Clinical observation
• IV chemotherapy alone
• Radiation therapy alone
• Radiation therapy followed by IV chemotherapy

Correct Answer: Clinical observation

Explaination: Most schwannomas are benign and grow slowly. Resection may be curative because the tumors typically displace nerve roots rather than infiltrate them, and even incompletely resected tumors should be followed clinically given the benign course in most cases.

Reference: Page 136,Chamberlain MC. Neoplastic myelopathies. Continuum (Minneap Minn). 2015 Feb21(1 Spinal Cord Disorders)132-45. doi 10.121201.CON.0000461089.02113.1b. PMID 25651222.