A Rare Case of Large Retroperitoneal Schwannoma

Aims: The aim of this manuscript is to present a rare case of a schwannoma in the retroperitoneal space.

Case: We present the case of a 61-year-old female with a retroperitoneal tumor which proved to be a schwannoma. After incomplete surgical excision, a second surgical exploration, due to tumor relapse, was conducted a year later.

Discussion: Schwannomas or Neurilemmomas are mesenchymal tumors arising from Schwann cells of peripheral nerve sheaths. The first tumors of peripheral nerves were described in 1910 by Jose Verocay, but it was not until 1935 that Arthur Purdy Stout used the term Neurilemmoma. Retroperitoneal space is an unusual location of schwannomas and their presence may only be expressed by insidious onset of nonspecific symptoms like vague abdominal pain. Definite diagnosis of schwannomas is only made post-operatively, by histopathological examination of the specimen.

Conclusion: Schwannomas, even if they are infrequent, should be included in the differential diagnosis of any retroperitoneal abdominal mass.