Endobronchial benign nerve sheath tumour presenting with significant shortness of breath and haemoptysis

Abstract

Peripheral nerve sheath tumours are rare within the thoracic cavity, with non-specific presentation. A 29-year-old patient presented with shortness of breath, cough, haemoptysis and recurrent chest infections. Suspicion of a primary lung carcinoma or a neuroendocrine tumour was raised following a CT and PET-CT. An endobronchial tumour suggested on histology a diagnosis of benign nerve sheath tumour, with positive staining for S100, CD56 and CD34. Following lung resection, the patient complained of fatigue and developed subcutaneous erythematous nodules on the anterior right chest, which raised the suspicion for a differential diagnosis of neurofibromatosis type I. The nodules resolved spontaneously within two weeks and the diagnosis of neurofibromatosis was ruled out on subsequent magnetic resonance imaging head and chest.