Gastric Schwannoma Mimicking Malignant Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor Exhibiting Increased Fluorodeoxyglucose Uptake

Abstract

A schwannoma is a kind of neurogenic tumor that rarely occurs in the gastrointestinal tract. Gastric schwannomas make up 0.2% of all gastric neoplasms. Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) are the most common mesenchymal tumors and up to 60-70% of GIST occur in the stomach. Schwannoma and GIST are similar in clinical features, so they are difficult to differentiate preoperatively. Differential diagnosis of these two submucosal tumors is important because of the malignant potential of GIST and the relatively benign course of gastric schwannomas. We report a 49-year-old woman who was diagnosed after operation with a gastric schwannoma, which was suspected a malignant GIST by fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission computed tomography imaging.