Advanced gastric carcinoma with signet ring cell histology.
BACKGROUND
Gastric signet ring cell carcinoma (SRC) is a histological type based on microscopic characteristics and not on biological behavior. This study compared the clinicopathological features and prognosis of advanced SRC with non-signet ring cell adenocarcinoma (NSRC) of the stomach.


METHODS
We reviewed the records of 4,759 consecutive patients diagnosed with advanced gastric adenocarcinoma who were resected surgically from 1987 to 2003. Of these, 662 patients (13.9%) had SRC and were compared with 4,097 patients with NSRC.


RESULTS
Significant differences were noted in tumor size, Borrmann type, depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, peritoneal dissemination and TNM stage. The cumulative 5-year survival rate for advanced SRC was 42.4%, compared with 50.1% in NSRC (p = 0.009). Multivariate analysis showed that tumor size > or =5 cm, Borrmann III and IV, T3-4 invasion and SRC histology were independent risk factors for lymph node metastasis. Depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, hepatic and peritoneal metastasis and surgical curability were significant factors affecting survival. SRC histology alone was not an independent prognostic factor.


CONCLUSIONS
Advanced gastric SRC tends toward deeper tumor invasion and more lymph node and peritoneal metastasis than NSRC. Advanced gastric SRC had a worse prognosis than NSRC. Therefore, curative surgical operation with extended lymph node dissection is recommended.
Li
Chen
C
Department of Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Kim
Sungsoo
S
Lai
Ji Fu
JF
Hyung
Woo Jin
WJ
Choi
Won Hyuk
WH
Choi
Seung Ho
SH
Noh
Sung Hoon
SH
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000473:pathology*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018279:Carcinoma, Signet Ring Cell / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D016019:Survival Analysis