Primary small cell carcinoma of the stomach: an experience of two decades (1990-2011) in a Chinese cancer institute.
BACKGROUND
Primary gastric small cell carcinoma (GSCC) is a rare and aggressive disease for which the standard treatment has not been established. The objective of this study is to investigate the clinical characteristics and survival.


METHODS
All cases of GSCC treated at our institute from January 1990 to December 2011 were reviewed and analyzed retrospectively. Statistical analyses were performed using Fisher's exact test.


RESULTS
A total of 19 patients from 11,603 cases (0.16%) of all gastric cancers treated during this period were identified. The median age was 61 years and the patients were predominantly men. Using the latest AJCC Staging Criteria, the majority of the patients (68.4%) were Stage III. All patients underwent surgery. The median overall survival time (MST) was 19.5 months (95% CI 17.5-21.6 months). The 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival rates were 77.3%, 44.2%, and 22.1%, respectively. The MST of 48.5 months for cases who received postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy was superior to that of 19.0 months for cases who did not (P = 0.026).


CONCLUSIONS
Our data indicate that GSCC patients can be treated effectively with combined modality of treatment, despite the aggressive nature of GSCC. Systemic therapy, based on chemotherapy with surgery, is recommended.
Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Institute & Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College (CAMS & PUMC), Beijing, China. huangjingwg@163.com
Jing
J
Huang
Yi
Y
Zhou
Xinming
X
Zhao
Hongtu
H
Zhang
Xinghua
X
Yuan
Jinwan
J
Wang
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002173:Cancer Care Facilities; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000628:therapy*; D002681:China; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome