부산대학교 도서관

Granular cell tumors (GCTs) are uncommon soft tissue tumors usually originating from the nerve sheath, affecting any body part but rarely the spinal region. Only 2% of GCTs are malignant, which is associated with a very poor prognosis. They occur most frequently in middle-aged females. Clinical symptoms of GCTs from the spine origin depend on their location. Radical resection is the treatment of choice for GCTs, followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy if it turns out malignancy or complete resection is impossible. Herewith, we report a case of malignant GCTs of the upper thoracic spine with pleural metastasis. Although the initial upper extremity MRI showed a small thoracic paravertebral mass, it was missed, resulting in a delayed diagnosis of malignancy. From the case, we can learn that vigilant suspicion to rule out any malignancy is essential if aggravation of symptoms is observed even under active pain management.