Gastrointestinal autonomic nerve tumor: report of a case

Abstract

Introduction: Gastrointestinal autonomic nerve tumors (GANT) are a rare subgroup of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST). Their histological appearance is similar to that of other GISTs. Up to date only about 200 cases were published in English literature. Aim: We report an additionally case of gastric GANT. Methods: A 72 years old female patient was admitted with abdominal tumor mass which occurred in the stomach according CT scan. She underwent a surgery and subtotal gastrectomy was performed. Results: Postoperative recovery was uneventful. Histological examination and immunohistochemical analysis revealed the diagnosis of a gastrointestinal autonomic nerve tumor. The immunohistochemical profile of the tumor revealed positive staining to c-kit (CD117), CD34, vimentin and S-100, positive staining to neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and negative staining to desmin. Three months after initial diagnosis and surgery the patient is asymptomatic and was scheduled for very close follow up. Conclusion: Radical surgical resection of gastrointestinal autonomic nerve tumors seems to be the only available curative approach to date in patients with no metastasis.