Granular data. A rare submucosal tumor of the colon. Case report and review of the literature

Introduction: Granular cellular tumors are unusual lesions that can occur in the gastrointestinal tract, where they localize most commonly to the esophagus followed by the colon. Areas Covered: We report a case of a young man with a sub-epithelial lesion of the ascending colon, removed by endoscopic submucosal dissection. Histological examination revealed a granular cellular tumor without features of malignancy. We present a systematic review of the English literature evaluating granular cellular tumors of lower gastrointestinal tract. Expert Commentary: These tumors are usually asymptomatic and discovered incidentally during endoscopy performed for other reasons. Though their histological behavior is usually benign, 1–2% are malignant. Therefore, it is important that these lesions are excised and adequately pathologically characterized.