A Case of Primary Gastric Small-Cell Carcinoma in an Elderly Patient

oleh: Fa-Chang Yu, Ming-Jong Bair, Huan-Lin Chen, I.-Tsung Lin, Chia-Hsien Wu, Yu-Shan Yen

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: Taiwan Society of Geriatric Emergency and Critical Medicine (TSGECM) 2012-03-01

Deskripsi

We report a case of primary small-cell carcinoma of the stomach in a 75-year-old man. The patient was admitted to our hospital with a 1-week history of intermittent tarry stool. An upper gastrointestinal examination revealed a large stage A2 ulcer in the greater curvature of the body of the stomach, and pathological findings from biopsy specimens revealed small-cell carcinoma. The tumor cells were small-sized, composed of hyperchromatic nuclei with scant cytoplasm, and stained positive for cytokeratin, synaptophysin, and chromogranin A. The patient was diagnosed with primary small-cell carcinoma of the stomach. He declined further evaluation and received palliative management. This is a rare carcinoma of the stomach, with aggressive manifestations and a poor prognosis. The mean survival of patients with primary gastric small-cell carcinoma is reported to be 7 months. The choice of treatment for this disease is still controversial. This rare gastric tumor should be listed in the differential diagnosis of gastric carcinoma in the elderly.