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Schwannomas of the cervical esophagus are extremely rare, as fewer than a dozen reports have been published in the literature. Therefore, their clinical characteristics and management have not been definitively elucidated. We report 2 cases of cervical esophageal schwannoma (CES) in which the patients--a 52-year-old woman and a 53-year-old woman--were initially misdiagnosed clinically. The correct diagnosis was later established on the basis of contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) and intraoperative frozen-section analysis. In both cases, the tumor was enucleated, and the esophagus was closed by primary intention. Both patients resumed an oral diet 2 weeks postoperatively. Follow-up detected no evidence of recurrence. Our review of the literature revealed that CES is a benign mesenchymal tumor that can be misdiagnosed both clinically and pathologically. Preoperative contrast-enhanced CT and intraoperative frozen-section analysis help in the planning for conservative enucleation, which precludes the need for esophageal resection and its associated morbidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]