Clinicopathological features of esophageal schwannomas in mainland China: systematic review of the literature.

OBJECTIVE: Esophageal schwannoma (ES) are rare and mostly benign neurogenic tumors. The clinical misdiagnosis rate of it is high. In this study, the clinicopathologic features of ES in mainland China were studied to better understand the disease and improve the diagnosis and treatment rate. METHODS: A systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. The keywords "esophageal schwannoma", "esophageal neurinoma" and "esophageal neurilemoma" were searched for databases such as Pubmed, EMbase, Wanfang Database and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure. The search time frame for database was until July 2019. Combined with our patient, the clinicopathological data and the diagnosis and treatment of ES were summarized. RESULTS: ES occurs in the upper part of the mediastinum and in the thoracic esophagus in most patients in the neck, upper and middle segments. CT and PET/CT examinations can be used for diagnosis, but the differentiation value of both benign and malignant ES is similar. The histopathological findings of forceps biopsy specimens are often difficult to diagnose, and deep tissue biopsies may increase pathological accuracy. EUS-FNA is also recommended for ES diagnosis, but it may also be misdiagnosed. Pathological features include a fusiform arrangement in a palisade-like structure or a tumor cell arranged in a network to form a loose structure. ES characteristic immunohistochemistry results showed that S-100 protein has strong immunological activity. CONCLUSION: The definitive diagnosis requires immunohistochemistry, especially immunological reaction with S-100 protein. The appropriate treatment plan should be selected according to the diameter of the lesion. The overall prognosis of ES is good, but attention should be paid to follow-up.