Neurofibroma, not so rare anymore

The medical community could shift its thoughts about neurofibroma being a rare condition in Nigeria, after doctors at Federal Teaching Hospital, Gombe reported finding and treating a patient with the condition. A neurofibroma is a benign (noncancerous) tumour in nerve. It forms soft bumps on or under the skin. It is rare but it can […]

The medical community could shift its thoughts about neurofibroma being a rare condition in Nigeria, after doctors at Federal Teaching Hospital, Gombe reported finding and treating a patient with the condition.

A neurofibroma is a benign (noncancerous) tumour in nerve. It forms soft bumps on or under the skin. It is rare but it can also become malignant (cancerous).

Symptoms are often mild or absent. If the tumour presses against nerves or grows within them, you may experience pain or numbness in the affected area.

The patient first presented at age 33, complaining of nasal blockage and runny nose. Tests revealed a mass of polyp in her right nasal cavity. Further tests indicated neurofibroma, but the condition was rare and literature about its occurrence in Nigeria scanty. Review also showed it occurring less in head-and-neck region.

The patient was lost in follow up until 12 years later. When she reappeared, she had lost vision in her right eye, its inside corner was swollen, her nasal cavity was blood, she breathed through her mouth and bled through her nose.

Examination showed her cornea had gone opaque, a cystic mass on the right inside corner of her eye, a widened nasal bridge and masses of polyps occupying both nasal cavities.

“I haven’t seen much of the review done on such cases,” said Dr Yahya Ibrahim, of the ear, nose and throat department at Federal Teaching Hospital, Gombe, and one of nine researchers behind the case report.

“You see neurofibroma but not occurring in sinonasal [positions]. He has studied nasal polyps for seven years without finding a case of neurofibroma. He still studies sinonasal tumours but none he’s found appears to be neurofibroma.

The patient in question underwent a surgery and is “presently on followup with no other complaints,” the researchers wrote in their case report in proceedings of 58th Nigerian Medical Association Scientific Conference.

“The significance is to create awareness that something like this exists. People can think toward it, so they know things like this occur,” said Ibrahim.

“Otherwise people can ignore it and think it is just a polyp but it turns out to be neurofibroma.”