Preliminary study regarding the utility of certain immunohistochemical markers in diagnosing neurofibromas and schwannomas.

The present study shows the histopathological and immunohistochemical aspects encountered in 49 benign tumors with neural origin diagnosed in the Pathology Department of the Emergency County Hospital of Craiova between 2000 and 2007. Histopathological criteria were used for the histopathological diagnosis, having been diagnosed 22 neurofibromas and 27 schwannomas. Histopathological examination was completed by the immunohistochemical examination using anti-S100 and anti-vimentin antibodies, anti-CD34, anti-CD57 and anti-neurofilament antibodies, as well as the Ki67 proliferation marker. Both tumors showed positive immunostaining for S100, CD34, CD57, but of varying intensity and distribution. Schwannomas and neurofibromas showed a low proliferation index (<5%).