Peripheral Nerve Tumor - Mayo Clinic in Florida

Accurate diagnosis is the key to making treatment decisions. At Mayo Clinic, you’ll have a peripheral nerve tumor care team with the expertise and experience to provide an accurate diagnose and a care plan designed for your needs.

We’re experts in all peripheral nerve tumor treatment options, including the latest innovations. More than 900 people with peripheral nerve tumors seek care at Mayo Clinic each year.

You’ll have a team of specialists working together to make sure you get exactly the treatment you need. This may include neurologists, neurosurgeons, radiologists, otorhinolaryngologists (ear, nose, and throat doctors), oncologists, radiation oncologists, audiologists, geneticists, and professionals in preserving function when possible or regaining movement if needed.

Peripheral nerve tumors aren't common. It's important to find a provider who is experienced in diagnosing and treating them. If needed, seek a second opinion. You may undergo a general physical exam and a neurological exam. Several tests may help pinpoint the cause of your symptoms. At Mayo Clinic your care team has access to advanced diagnostics to guide the treatment plan developed for you.

You may undergo a general physical exam and a neurological exam. Several tests may help pinpoint the cause of your symptoms. Some examples are:

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This scan uses a magnet and radio waves to produce a detailed 3D view of nerves and tissue.
Computerized tomography (CT). A CT scanner rotates around the body to take a series of images. A computer uses the image to make a detailed view of the peripheral nerve tumor. A CT scan can help your provider determine how the tumor may be affecting you.
Electromyogram (EMG). For this test, small needles are placed in the muscles. An instrument records the electrical activity in the muscle as they're moved.
Nerve conduction study. This test is often done with an EMG. It measures how fast the nerves carry electrical signals to the muscles.
Tumor biopsy. If you have a nerve tumor, you may need a biopsy. A small sample of cells from the tumor is removed and analyzed. Depending on the tumor's size and location, you may need to have medicine that numbs an area of the body, called local anesthesia, or medicine that relaxes you or puts you to sleep, during the biopsy. Sometimes a biopsy is the only way to determine whether a tumor is cancerous.
Nerve biopsy. A biopsy of the nerve may be needed in people who have certain conditions, such as progressive peripheral neuropathy and enlarged nerves that mimic nerve tumors.

Mayo Clinic experts have extensive experience diagnosing peripheral nerve tumors using noninvasive approaches such as high-resolution, 3-D imaging or high-resolution 7T MRI. Our patients have access to diagnostic studies such as multimodal imaging and genetic analysis not available at many other institutions. Some advanced imaging techniques may help to distinguish cancerous tumors from benign tumors without a biopsy or incision.

This image displays the radiology scanned imaging from a 3 Tesla MRI. The 3 Tesla MRI, while using a less powerful magnetic field compared to the 7 Tesla MRI, still provides clear and detailed images of the body's interior. It is commonly used in clinical settings to diagnose and monitor various medical conditions, offering valuable insights for patient care and treatment planning. However, the clarity of the images produced by the 3 Tesla MRI is not as high as that of the 7 Tesla MRI, which can impact the level of detail visible in the scans.

Treatment of a peripheral nerve tumor depends on the type of tumor, what nerves and other tissues it affects, and symptoms. Treatment options could include:

Monitoring

Watchful waiting to see if the tumor grows could be an option if the tumor is in a place that makes it difficult to remove or if it is small, slow growing and causing few or no symptoms. During a monitoring period, you would have regular checkups, including MRI scans, CT scans or ultrasounds. If repeat scans show that the tumor is stable, it may be monitored for several years. Mayo Clinic experts are paid a fixed salary. They are not paid based on the number of procedures or tests ordered. This means we will recommend surgery only when necessary, and when other less-invasive approaches have been ruled out.

If surgery is right for you, you'll have a Mayo Clinic neurosurgeon whose practice focuses on peripheral nerve tumor care. Our highly trained neurosurgeons use:

The latest in surgical techniques to remove the tumor while sparing nearby tissue and minimizing damage to nerves.
Intraoperative monitoring to identify and protect healthy nerves

Multidisciplinary treatment of malignant tumors including:

Chemotherapy
Radiation therapy
Proton beam therapy
Physical medicine and rehabilitation
Gamma Knife radiosurgery

Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, rank among the Best Hospitals for Neurology and Neurosurgery in the U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals rankings.

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Experts in Every Type of Peripheral Nerve Tumor, Focused on You

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