Neurofibroma in the thorax mimicking lung tumor: case report

Neurofibroma is a neurogenic tumor in the peripheral nerve tumor group. A 25-year-old male patient without any complaints hospitalized due to a probable peripheral lung tumor is presented in this article. Thorax computed tomography was performed to identify a 4 cm round mass lesion in the posterior mediastinal compartment detected on chest radiograms and revealed a peripheral lung tumor causing vertebral destruction. The patient had no pathologic signs on physical examination, and bronchoscopic examination and computed tomography guided transthoracic needle aspiration revealed no specific diagnosis. Further investigation by magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated a nerve sheath tumor. Lateral thoracotomy was performed, the paraspinal mass at the level of T4-T7 vertebra was removed surgically, and histopathological diagnosis was neurofibroma. Neurofibroma should be considered in the differential diagnosis when a tumor is detected in the posterior mediastinal location. Surgery is the main therapeutic approach in this type of tumors.