Ask your doctor: What are facial nerve schwannomas?

Q. What are facial nerve schwannomas?

-Udaya Kumar, Shollinganallur

Facial nerve schwannomas are rare slow-growing tumors, accounting for less than 1 per cent of all temporal bone tumors. Schwannoma grows on the 7th cranial nerve of the facial nerve. It is a benign and slow-growing tumor. It is also known as a Facial Neuroma. The tumor arises from the Schwann cells which surround the axons of peripheral and cranial nerves. According to cancer.gov, it has affected fewer than 200,000 people windows across the globe. In India, the incidence of facial nerve schwannoma is 1 in 50,000. Dr Satish Nair, Senior Consultant, ENT & Head and Neck Oncology, Apollo Cancer Centre

Q. What is an APLA syndrome?

-Suresh K, Vadapalani

APLA syndrome is a sporadic condition that is life-threatening and can go undetected for a long time. Time is key in treating this condition as delayed diagnosis can lead to more complications. A few studies have also shown that miscarriages indows and unsuccessful pregnancies are one of the symptoms to diagnose this.