Primary malignant schwannoma of the small bowel

Abstract

Primary malignant schwannoma of the small intestine is an extremely rare disease. We report a primary malignant intestinal schwannoma of the small bowel in a 66-year-old woman, who was admitted to the hospital because of fatigue and anaemia. On clinical examination there was a solid mass at the abdomen. Ultrasound scanning showed an abdominal tumour. Computed tomography showed a mass in the area of the pancreatic tail involving the small intestine. At laparotomy a 10 x 10 cm tumour was found in the proximal jejunum, and 50 cm of the small intestine was resected. The histology of the lesion corresponded to a malignant intestinal schwannoma. The results of previous studies and of our report suggest that the diagnosis of malignant intestinal schwannoma may be difficult, and to exclude malignant conditions laparotomy and surgical excision of the tumour are adequate in the management of this type of lesion.