Clinicopathological characteristics of gastrointestinal schwannomas: A retrospective analysis of 78 cases

INTRODUCTION: Schwannomas are tumors arising from Schwan cells of the neural sheath, which rarely occur in the gastrointestinal tract. The aim of the present study was to analyze the clinicopathological features and treatment outcomes of gastrointestinal schwannomas (GISs). METHODS: Patients who were diagnosed with GISs in our hospital from January 2010 to December 2021 were selected. Data about demographic characteristics, clinical symptoms, treatment methods and outcomes, pathological results, and follow-up results were retrospectively collected and analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 78 patients with 79 GISs were included, the female-to-male ratio was 55:23, and the average age was 52.12 ± 12.26 years. One-third (26/78) of the patients were asymptomatic. A total of 79 GISs were removed, and the average size was 3.63 ± 2.03 cm (range, 0.3–10 cm). As for tumor location, 54 GISs were located in the stomach, 14 in the esophagus, 2 in the duodenum, 6 in the colorectum (4 in the colon and 2 in the rectum), and the other 3 in the small intestine. A total of 23 and 55 patients underwent endoscopic and surgical resections, respectively. Compared with surgical resection, endoscopic resection is associated with a smaller diameter, lower cost, and shorter hospital stay. Pathological results revealed that S100 was positive in all the GISs. No recurrence was noticed during a median follow-up of 45 months (range, 6–148 months). CONCLUSION: GISs are rare gastrointestinal tumors with favorable prognoses, which are most commonly seen in the stomach and diagnosed by pathological findings with immunohistochemical staining. Surgical resection remains the standard method for removing GISs, while endoscopic resection may serve as an alternative method for selected patients with GISs and may be attempted in GISs with a diameter of <3 cm and no signs of malignancy.