Laparoscopic resection of schwannoma of the ascending colon

Schwannomas of the colon are rare and difficult to diagnose preoperatively. We report a case of schwannoma of the ascending colon that was resected laparoscopically. A 64-year-old woman was referred to our hospital by her local clinic for further evaluation and management of a submucosal tumor of the ascending colon. A definitive preoperative diagnosis could not be reached despite examinations. Gastrointestinal stromal tumor, leiomyoma and lymphoma were the differential diagnoses. We performed a laparoscopic right hemicolectomy with D2 lymph node dissection. Histological findings with hematoxylin-eosin staining revealed spindle-like tumor cells, and immunohistochemical analysis showed that the tumor was positive for S-100 but negative for c-kit, CD34, smooth muscle actin and desmin, with a Ki-67 index of <5%. Thus, the diagnosis in this case was benign schwannoma of the ascending colon.