title: Primary malignant nerve sheath tumor of the gasserian ganglion: a report of two cases.
abstract: Primary tumors of the gasserian ganglion are usually benign, and secondary tumors are malignant. We report two cases of a malignant primary tumor of the gasserian ganglion, bringing the total in the world literature to five. The presentation, etiological features, and treatment of these cases are reviewed, together with a review of the literature. Preoperative differentiation from a benign tumor is not possible with certainty. A combination of operation and radiation therapy seems to be the best treatment at present.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003390:Cranial Nerve Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009442:Neurilemmoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D010146:Pain; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D012668:Trigeminal Ganglion; D014276:Trigeminal Nerve