Small palatal swelling: an uncommon presentation of intraoral schwannoma.

Schwannomas are uncommon benign tumors arising in the nerve-supporting Schwann cells. Intraoral lesions usually present in the tongue or floor of the mouth as a submucosal nodule, while the palate is rarely affected. A 26-year-old white man presented with an asymptomatic submucosal fibroelastic nodule in the hard palate. The 2 × 2-cm lesion was covered by normal-appearing mucosa. Under the working diagnosis of minor salivary gland tumor, an incisional biopsy was performed, and analysis revealed an encapsulated tumor with a well-defined biphasic pattern: hypercellular areas with spindled cells arranged in palisades and less cellular areas formed by irregular arranged masses of elongated cells and fibers. The diagnosis of schwannoma was rendered, and the lesion was excised together with periosteum. No recurrence was observed after 30 months of follow-up. Palatal nodules usually present as minor salivary gland tumors; rarer lesions, such as schwannomas, represent a clinical diagnostic challenge. Clinicians should consider schwannoma in the differential diagnosis for palatal nodules and manage them with incisional biopsy and prompt treatment.