Benign esophageal schwannoma: a brief overview and our experience with this rare tumor

Abstract

BackgroundBenign esophageal tumors are uncommon, comprising approximately 2% of esophageal tumors. Esophageal schwannomas constitute an even rarer entity, with few cases reported in the literature.Case presentationWe present a 66-year-old male who was referred for dysphagia. A computed tomography scan showed a well-demarcated, enhancing, and homogenous esophageal tumor measuring 50 mm. The tumor was hypermetabolic on positron emission tomography, and an endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration demonstrated the presence of benign spindle cells. We performed an uncomplicated, simple, tumor enucleation through a cervical approach. Histology revealed spindle-shaped cells in a fasciculated, disarrayed pattern. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated positive staining for S-100 protein and negative staining for KIT, CD34, desmin, and α-smooth muscle actin. These findings were consistent with a benign esophageal schwannoma.ConclusionsWe report our experience with esophageal schwannoma, a rare but benign diagnosis of the esophagus.

Clinical characteristics and surgical treatment of schwannomas of the esophagus and stomach: A case series and systematic review

“…Schwannomas of the esophagus: These benign esophageal tumors are very rare since they comprise less than 2% of all esophageal tumors[15-17]. The most common submucosal esophageal tumor is leiomyoma, diagnosed in 50% of every benign case, followed by GISTs, which have malignant potential[18-20].…”

“…Schwannomas typically originate in the posterior mediastinum, followed by the chest wall and lung parenchyma, and extremely rare from the esophagus[15,20]. Esophageal schwannomas are usually found in the upper thoracic segment[17,23]. An average size of 5.6cm has been reported, with a range of 0.5 to 10 cm[24].…”

Schwannoma de Esôfago: Relato de Caso / Schwannoma of the Esophagus: A Case Report

“…O schwannoma possui positividade, dentre os marcadores imunohistoquímicos, para proteína S-100 e GFAP e negatividade para CD117 e SMA (HUNG et al, 2008;CHEN et al, 2006). O papel da quimioterapia e radioterapia, como tratamento adjuvante, por sua vez, permanece indefinido, sendo o tratamento de escolha restrito a ressecção cirúrgica oncológica (HUNG et al, 2008;MORO et al, 2017;TRINDADE et al, 2018). Não há consenso, quanto ao seguimento clínico, sendo que alguns serviços de renome optam por reavaliação semestral (IWATA et al, 2018).…”

An unusual cause of dysphagia with paroxysmal cough

“…Benign oesophageal tumours are unusual, accounting for 2% of all oesophageal neoplasms . The most common causes are mesenchymal tumours, which include leiomyoma and gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST), with schwannoma being extremely rare.…”