Schwannoma

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A benign tumor arising from Schwann cells of the peripheral nervous system; typically encapsulated and slow growing; often causing nerve compression symptoms
2. A noncancerous growth originating in the sheath of peripheral nerves composed of Schwann cells; usually well-defined and growth is gradual; may produce localized nerve dysfunction
3. A benign neoplasm developing from the Schwann cell layer encasing nerves; commonly encapsulated with indolent progression; may lead to nerve irritation or compression-related issues

Etymology: Theodor Schwann was a German physiologist, a pupil of Johannes Müller, who in the 1830s described the cells that wrap around nerve fibres and produce their insulating myelin sheath. Those cells came to bear his name, and the "Schwann cell" is still the standard term for them. A tumour arising from these cells needed a name of its own, and the medical vocabulary built one by joining his surname to "-oma," the suffix used across medicine for growths and tumours. The result is a compound rather than a word with an ancient pedigree. "Schwann" is a modern personal name, and "-oma" comes from Greek, where it marked a swelling or result of an action, but it was pressed into service in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries as a general marker for tumours. Its meaning is therefore fixed by the cell it grows from: a schwannoma is a growth of Schwann cells, usually found along a nerve, and it is typically benign.

Synonyms: neurilemmoma, neurinoma