A huge benign gastric schwannomas presented with upper and lower gastrointestinal bleeding: a case report and literature review

Abstract

Abstract Gastric schwannomas (GS) are rare mesenchymal tumors from Schwann cells in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, representing 2–6% of such tumors. We report a 52-year-old woman who experienced abdominal pain, hematemesis, and melena, initially suspected of having a GI stromal tumor through ultrasound and computed tomography abdomen. Despite no active bleeding found during an upper endoscopy, she underwent a successful open subtotal gastrectomy, with histopathology confirming GS. The diagnosis of GS, which may mimic other GI conditions, relies heavily on imaging and histopathological analysis due to its nonspecific symptomatology, including the potential for both upper and lower GI bleeding. This case underscores the diagnostic challenges of GS and highlights surgical resection as the preferred treatment, generally leading to a favorable prognosis.