Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42502073›Full record

SynthesisEuropean spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society2026

Hybrid schwannoma-neurofibroma of the upper cervical spine: illustrative case and systematic review of spinal hybrid nerve sheath tumors.

Halit Alioğlu, Omar Alomari, Ahmet Rafil Varrak, Zuhal Kus Silav, Hikmet Turan Suslu

Abstract readSystematic ReviewCase Reports
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In one paragraph

Synthesis in European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Halit AlioğluDr Lütfi Kırdar Kartal Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi, Istanbul, Turkey.
Omar AlomariSağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi, Istanbul, Turkey.
Ahmet Rafil VarrakDr Lütfi Kırdar Kartal Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi, Istanbul, Turkey.
Zuhal Kus SilavDr Lütfi Kırdar Kartal Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi, Istanbul, Turkey.
Hikmet Turan SusluDr Lütfi Kırdar Kartal Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi, Istanbul, Turkey. hikmets1972@yahoo.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundHybrid peripheral nerve sheath tumors (HPNSTs) are rare benign neoplasms characterized by the coexistence of multiple peripheral nerve sheath lineages, most commonly schwannoma, neurofibroma, and perineurioma. Although increasingly recognized as a distinct pathological entity, spinal involvement remains exceedingly uncommon, posing diagnostic and therapeutic challenges.

methodsA systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines using PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science from database inception to April 2026. Studies reporting histologically confirmed primary spinal HPNSTs were included. Demographic, clinical, radiological, histopathological, immunohistochemical, and outcome data were extracted and descriptively analyzed. CASE DESCRIPTION AND LITERATURE

resultsA 25-year-old male presented with a 3-month history of progressive cervical and left shoulder pain accompanied by intermittent numbness. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a dumbbell-shaped intradural extramedullary lesion at the C1-2 level with foraminal extension and cervical cord compression. Gross total microsurgical resection was achieved through a C1-C2 interlaminar microsurgical approach. Histopathological examination demonstrated a biphasic neoplasm composed of hypercellular schwannomatous nodules and hypocellular neurofibromatous areas within a collagenous and myxoid stroma. Immunohistochemistry revealed diffuse SOX10 positivity within the schwannian component and prominent CD34 reactivity in the neurofibromatous stroma, confirming a hybrid schwannoma-neurofibroma (WHO grade 1). The patient remained neurologically intact without recurrence at 20-month follow-up. Five eligible studies comprising nine spinal HPNST cases were identified. Schwannoma-perineurioma represented the predominant subtype (66.7%), whereas schwannoma-neurofibroma tumors accounted for (33.3%) of cases. Gross total resection was generally associated with favorable outcomes, while recurrence was rarely reported.

conclusionSpinal HPNSTs are exceptionally rare lesions that remain difficult to diagnose preoperatively because of nonspecific radiological features. Definitive diagnosis relies on histopathological and immunohistochemical confirmation, whereas gross total resection appears to provide favorable outcomes.

Indexed as

Cervical VertebraeNerve Sheath NeoplasmsNeurilemmomaNeurofibromaSpinal NeoplasmsAdultHumansMaleNerve sheath neoplasmsNeurilemmomaNeurofibromaSOX10 transcription factorSpinal neoplasms

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.