Analysis of benign retroperitoneal schwannomas: a single-center experience

J Neurol Surg A Cent Eur Neurosurg. 2022 Sep 13. doi: 10.1055/a-1942-2310. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

Background: Retroperitoneal schwannomas are rare. The purpose of this study was to present our experience with the diagnosis and treatment of 67 such tumors. Methods: Retrospective analysis of 67 patients with retroperitoneal schwannoma admitted to Peking University International Hospital from 2015 to 2021. Results: 67 patients presented with retroperitoneal schwannomas, 37 cases had no obvious clinical symptoms. 62 cases were completely excised, 5 cases were subtotal resection, 7 cases were combined with organ resection. The intraoperative blood loss was 300ml (20-9000ml), the tumor maximum size was 9cm (2.5-26cm), post-complication occurred in 6 cases (9.0%). Compared with abdominal retroperitoneal tumors, pelvic retroperitoneal tumors had larger tumor volume, more bleeding, higher proportion of block resection, and longer postoperative hospitalization time (P<0.05). The residual mass progressed slowly in 5 patients with subtotal resection, and no obvious malignant transformation occurred. Conclusion:Complete resection of schwannoma can achieve a good long-term prognosis. Patients with residual tumor after surgery progress slowly and rarely become malignant. We recommend early resection after the discovery of a pelvic retroperitoneal schwannoma. Keywords: Schwannoma; Retroperitoneal neoplasms; Postoperative complications.