Gastric undifferentiated carcinoma with diffuse c-kit overexpression and focal neuroendocrine differentiation.
A case of gastric undifferentiated carcinoma with diffuse c-kit overexpression and focal neuroendocrine differentiation is described. A 76-year-old man presented appetite loss for 1 month. Gastric endoscopy showed an exophytic huge nodular mass with central ulceration at the gastric prepylorus. Distal gastrectomy was performed with lymph node dissection. Histology indicated anaplastic medium- to large-sized round tumor cells in discohesive sheets. Adenocarcinomatous areas forming tubular glands or with intracytoplasmic mucin on PAS and Alcian-blue staining were not found in any sections. Immunohistochemistry showed that the tumor cells were diffusely positive for cytokeratin, vimentin, c-kit and focally positive for chromogranin A and synaptophysin. We hypothesized that c-kit overexpression of this tumor was attributed to neuroendocrine differentiation.
Division of Pathology, Saga Prefectural Hospital, Koseikan, Saga, Japan. mori-d@koseikan.jp
Daisuke
D
Mori
Michiaki
M
Akashi
Koichi
K
Baba
Kiyoto
K
Morito
Masami
M
Shibaki
Michinori
M
Hashimoto
Akashi
A
Nakamura
Seiko
S
Mawatari
Seiji
S
Sato
D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D018278:Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit