Congenital Gastrointestinal Pacemaker Cell Tumor

Abstract

The interstitial cells of Cajal complex within the gut wall function as a pacemaker to direct peristalsis. Their neoplastic counterpart is the gastrointestinal pacemaker cell tumor, a spindle and/or epithelioid cell mesenchymal tumor previously known as gastrointestinal stromal tumor or incorrectly called leiomyosarcoma in some cases of older reports. Although numerous cases of gastrointestinal leiomyosarcomas have been documented in the English-language literature, no pediatric case of gastrointestinal stromal tumor or gastrointestinal pacemaker cell tumor has, to our knowledge, been recorded. Herein, we report a case of congenital gastrointestinal pacemaker cell tumor confirmed by immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy in a full-term male newborn.