• D Gareth Evans, Naomi L Bowers, Simon Tobi, Claire Hartley, Andrew J Wallace, Andrew T King, Lloyd Simon K W SKW Department of Otolaryngology, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre (MAHSC), University of Manchester, Manchester, UK, Scott A Rutherford, Charlotte Hammerbeck-Ward, Omar N Pathmanaban, Simon R Freeman, John Ealing, Mark Kellett, Roger Laitt, Owen Thomas, Dorothy Halliday, Rosalie Ferner, Amy Taylor, Chris Duff, Elaine F Harkness, and Miriam J Smith.
• Department of Genomic Medicine, St Mary's Hospital, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre (MAHSC), Division of Evolution and Genomic Science, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK gareth.d.evans@manchester.ac.uk.
• J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. 2018 Nov 1; 89 (11): 1215-1219.

ObjectivesSchwannomatosis is a dominantly inherited condition predisposing to schwannomas of mainly spinal and peripheral nerves with some diagnostic overlap with neurofibromatosis-2 (NF2), but the underlying epidemiology is poorly understood. We present the birth incidence and prevalence allowing for overlap with NF2.MethodsSchwannomatosis and NF2 cases were ascertained from the Manchester region of England (population=4.8 million) and from across the UK. Point prevalence and birth incidence were calculated from regional birth statistics. Genetic analysis was also performed on NF2, LZTR1 and SMARCB1 on blood and tumour DNA samples when available.ResultsRegional prevalence for schwannomatosis and NF2 were 1 in 126 315 and 50 500, respectively, with calculated birth incidences of 1 in 68 956 and 1 in 27 956. Mosaic NF2 causes a substantial overlap with schwannomatosis resulting in the misdiagnosis of at least 9% of schwannomatosis cases. LZTR1-associated schwannomatosis also causes a small number of cases that are misdiagnosed with NF2 (1%-2%), due to the occurrence of a unilateral vestibular schwannoma. Patients with schwannomatosis had lower numbers of non-vestibular cranial schwannomas, but more peripheral and spinal nerve schwannomas with pain as a predominant presenting symptom. Life expectancy was significantly better in schwannomatosis (mean age at death 76.9) compared with NF2 (mean age at death 66.2; p=0.004).ConclusionsWithin the highly ascertained North-West England population, schwannomatosis has less than half the birth incidence and prevalence of NF2.© Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

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