[Difficult and unusual diagnostic and therapeutic gastric Schwannoma case]

Schwannoma is a rare, usually benign, generally slow growing, asymptomatic mesenchymal neoplasm derived from nerve cells. In the gastrointestinal tract the most common localization is stomach and the gastric schwannomas represent about 0.2% of all gastric neoplasms. We present a case of 44-years-old male admitted to 2nd Department of General Surgery and Oncological Surgery Medical University for treatment of a submucosal gastric tumor detected in upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, endoscopic ultrasonography and computed tomography (CT). Patient presented with no gastrointestinal disorders and the random endoscopy revealed a gastric tumor, but the biopsy of the lesion showed no carcinomas' cells and the suspicion of GIST. CT confirms the presence of the 5 cm large gastric tumor and intraabdominal lymphadenopathy. The patient was directed to surgery because of the malignant risk. The subtotal gastrectomy with BII anastomosis was performed and no perioperative complications were observed. The postoperative histopathological examination revealed a typical morphology and immunophenotype of tumor. The neoplastic cells were immunoreactive with S-100 protein, but lacked immunoreactivity with CD 117, CD 34 and smooth-muscle actin (SMA). The histopathologic features and immunohistochemical staining pattern were consistent with a gastric schwannoma. The lymph nodes resected, during the operation revealed reactive inflammatory changes without evidence of neoplastic cells and any malignancy. 10-month after the surgery patient has no complains but the follow up will be continued. This case underscores the importance of including gastric schwannomas in the differential diagnosis when preoperative imaging studies reveal a submucosal, exophytic gastric mass.