To Resect or Not to Resect: An Incidental Finding of an Adrenal Schwannoma

Adrenal masses are commonly classified as adenomas, with other pathologies including pheochromocytomas, adrenocortical carcinoma, and metastasis. Specifically, adrenal schwannomas are an extremely rare form of adrenal tumor. In this report, we present a case of a 61-year-old male patient who underwent an MRI of the abdomen for the evaluation of gallstones and was found to have an incidental left adrenal mass measuring approximately 6 cm. He was referred to urology and endocrinology due to concerns about malignancy. Given the size of the lesion, despite unremarkable adrenal laboratory studies, an interdisciplinary discussion was held in favor of resection. He later underwent adrenalectomy, in which pathology revealed a 6.5 cm schwannoma. It is important for physicians to be aware that at a certain size, consideration must be given to the resection of an adrenal mass due to the increased incidence of malignancy with larger sizes, despite their typical nonfunctioning presentation.

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Publication Details

Journal
Cureus
Published
2026-02-22
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.104068
Primary Topic
Adrenal and Paraganglionic Tumors
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

To Resect or Not to Resect: An Incidental Finding of an Adrenal Schwannoma

Daniel C. Rafii, Joyce Che, Aparna Dintakurti
Cureus
Adrenal and Paraganglionic Tumors
article

To Resect or Not to Resect: An Incidental Finding of an Adrenal Schwannoma

Daniel C. Rafii, Joyce Che, Aparna Dintakurti
article en

Abstract

Adrenal masses are commonly classified as adenomas, with other pathologies including pheochromocytomas, adrenocortical carcinoma, and metastasis. Specifically, adrenal schwannomas are an extremely rare form of adrenal tumor. In this report, we present a case of a 61-year-old male patient who underwent an MRI of the abdomen for the evaluation of gallstones and was found to have an incidental left adrenal mass measuring approximately 6 cm. He was referred to urology and endocrinology due to concerns about malignancy. Given the size of the lesion, despite unremarkable adrenal laboratory studies, an interdisciplinary discussion was held in favor of resection. He later underwent adrenalectomy, in which pathology revealed a 6.5 cm schwannoma. It is important for physicians to be aware that at a certain size, consideration must be given to the resection of an adrenal mass due to the increased incidence of malignancy with larger sizes, despite their typical nonfunctioning presentation.

CureusVol. 18(2)
NewYork–Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital (US)
Zero hunger
Openalex Percentile: Top 47%
Adrenal and Paraganglionic Tumors
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