Neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) is a multisystem disorder characterized by multiple café au lait macules, intertriginous freckling, multiple cutaneous neurofibromas, and learning disability or behavior problems. About half of people with NF1 have plexiform neurofibromas, but most are internal and not suspected clinically. Plexiform neurofibromas can cause pain, neurologic deficits, and abnormalities of involved or adjacent structures. Less common but potentially more serious manifestations include optic nerve and other central nervous system gliomas, malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors, scoliosis, tibial dysplasia, vasculopathy, and gastrointestinal, endocrine, or pulmonary disease.

Neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2) is characterized by bilateral vestibular schwannomas with associated symptoms of tinnitus, hearing loss, and balance dysfunction. The average age of onset is 18 to 24 years. Almost all affected individuals develop bilateral vestibular schwannomas by age 30 years. Affected individuals may also develop schwannomas of other cranial and peripheral nerves, meningiomas, ependymomas, and, very rarely, astrocytomas. Because NF2 is considered an adult-onset disease, it may be underrecognized in children, in whom skin tumors and ocular findings (retinal hamartoma, thickened optic nerves, cortical wedge cataracts, third cranial nerve palsy) may be the first manifestations. Mononeuropathy that occurs in childhood is an increasingly recognized finding; it frequently presents as a persistent facial palsy or hand/foot drop.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors are mesenchymal tumors found in the gastrointestinal tract that originate from the interstitial cells of Cajal, the pacemaker cells that regulate peristalsis in the digestive tract. Approximately 70% of GISTs develop in the stomach, 20% in the small intestine, and less than 10% in the esophagus, colon, and rectum. GISTs are typically more cellular than other gastrointestinal sarcomas. They occur predominantly in patients who are 40 to 70 years old but in rare cases may occur in younger persons (Miettinen et al., 1999, 1999). GISTs are also seen as a feature in several syndromes, e.g., neurofibromatosis-1 (NF1; 162200) and GIST-plus syndrome (175510).

Watson syndrome (WTSN) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by pulmonic stenosis, cafe-au-lait spots, decreased intellectual ability (Watson, 1967), and short stature (Partington et al., 1985). Most affected individuals have relative macrocephaly and Lisch nodules and about one-third of those affected have neurofibroma (Allanson et al., 1991).

Spinal neurofibromatosis is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by a high load of spinal tumors. These tumors may be asymptomatic or result in neurologic symptoms, including back pain, difficulty walking, and paresthesias. Spinal NF is considered to be a subtype of neurofibromatosis type I (NF1; 162200), which is an allelic disorder. Patients with spinal NF may or may not have the classic cutaneous cafe-au-lait pigmentary macules or ocular Lisch nodules typically observed in patients with classic NF1. Patients with spinal NF should be followed closely for spinal sequelae (summary by Burkitt Wright et al., 2013).

Legius syndrome is characterized by multiple café au lait macules without neurofibromas or other tumor manifestations of neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). Additional clinical manifestations reported commonly include intertriginous freckling, lipomas, macrocephaly, and learning disabilities / attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) / developmental delays. Current knowledge of the natural history of Legius syndrome is based on the clinical manifestations of fewer than 300 individuals with a molecularly confirmed diagnosis; better delineation of the clinical manifestations and natural history of Legius syndrome will likely occur as more affected individuals are identified.

A variant of neurofibromatosis type 1 characterized by the combination of features of neurofibromatosis type 1, such as café-au-lait spots, iris Lisch nodules, axillary and inguinal freckling, optic nerve glioma and multiple neurofibromas; and Noonan syndrome, with features such as short stature, typical facial features, congenital heart defects and unusual pectus deformity.

Approximately 5 to 20% of all patients with neurofibromatosis type I (162200) carry a heterozygous deletion of approximately 1.4 Mb involving the NF1 gene and contiguous genes lying in its flanking regions (Riva et al., 2000; Jenne et al., 2001), which is caused by nonallelic homologous recombination of NF1 repeats A and C (Dorschner et al., 2000). The 'NF1 microdeletion syndrome' is often characterized by a more severe phenotype than that observed in the majority of NF1 patients. In particular, patients with NF1 microdeletion often show variable facial dysmorphism, mental retardation, developmental delay, an excessive number of early-onset neurofibromas (Venturin et al., 2004), and an increased risk for malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (De Raedt et al., 2003).

Developmental delay, impaired speech, and behavioral abnormalities (DDISBA) is characterized by global developmental delay apparent from early childhood. Intellectual disability can range from mild to severe. Additional variable features may include dysmorphic facial features, seizures, hypotonia, motor abnormalities such as Tourette syndrome or dystonia, and hearing loss (summary by Cousin et al., 2021).

The basal cell nevus syndrome (BCNS), also known as Gorlin syndrome, is characterized by numerous basal cell cancers and epidermal cysts of the skin, calcified dural folds, keratocysts of the jaws, palmar and plantar pits, ovarian fibromas, medulloblastomas, lymphomesenteric cysts, fetal rhabdomyomas, and various stigmata of maldevelopment (e.g., rib and vertebral abnormalities, cleft lip or cleft palate, and cortical defects of bones) (summary by Koch et al., 2002). For a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of BCNS, see BCNS1 (109400).