High-Grade B-Cell Lymphoma of the Sciatic Nerve That Mimicked a Schwannoma: A Case Report

JBJS Case Connect. 2022 Mar 23;12(1). doi: 10.2106/JBJS.CC.21.00496.

Abstract

Case: A 41-year-old woman with a history of high-grade B-cell lymphoma status-post chemotherapy was evaluated for a painful left posterior thigh mass and significant weakness with sensory changes. Imaging revealed a benign-appearing mass consistent with schwannoma; however, intraoperative frozen section suggested high-grade B-cell lymphoma. Subsequent restaging studies revealed metastatic disease.

Conclusion: A history of lymphoma warrants careful investigation of a posterior thigh mass, despite imaging findings consistent with nerve sheath tumor. Surgical removal of lymphomas of the nerve often proves futile, so these lesions are usually managed with medical treatment or radiation.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Lymphoma*
  • Lymphoma, B-Cell* / diagnostic imaging
  • Lymphoma, B-Cell* / pathology
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Neurilemmoma* / diagnostic imaging
  • Neurilemmoma* / surgery
  • Sciatic Nerve / pathology