Plexiform neurofibromas are benign tumors that grow along individual nerves or a collection of peripheral nerves and are associated with more serious medical consequences:
- Frequently disfiguring
- May cause serious functional complications such as airway constriction, blindness, hearing loss, intestinal blockage, spinal cord compression, and chronic pain.
- Lifetime risk of 8-10% for malignant transformation to a highly aggressive and often fatal tumor (malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor; MPNST)
Learn more about symptoms:
www.hopkinsmedicine.org
www.ctf.org