Aim: To study the clinical features of male genital schwannoma.
Methods: Five male patients with genital schwannoma admitted from 1991 to 2000 were reviewed. The lesions were located in the prostate, spermatic cord, testis or penis. Tumors were simply resected in 3 patients and radically eradicated in 2.
Results: The average age of the cohort was 37 years. The most common sign at presentation was a palpable genital mass accidentally discovered by the patient or detected by the physician during a physical check. Diagnosis was made through postoperative pathological examination. Follow-up ranged from 2 years to 6 years (mean 4.5 years). Four cases were cured by simple excision and 1 patient with malignant testis schwannoma died of recurrence 1 year after surgery.
Conclusion: Owing to the lack of characteristic clinical manifestation, the final diagnosis relies on postoperative pathological examination. S-100 and vimentin are useful markers for the diagnosis of these tumors.