Clinicopathologic Features of Multiple Synchronous Gastric Cancer

Kim, Jin Bok; Choi, Min Kyu; Lee, Joo Ho; Ahn, Seung Ik; Kim, Soo Jin; Yu, Hang Jong; Yang, Han Kwang

Abstract

PURPOSE
With recent advances of diagnostic methods and precise histopathologic examination, the incidence of synchronous multiple gastric cancer has increased. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinicopathologic features of patients with synchronous multiple gastric cancer.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
We reviewed the clinicopathologic features of 189 patients with synchronous multiple gastric cancer out of 8,101 patients who underwent gastric resections for gastric cancers during 20 years from January 1977 to December 1996 at the Department of Surgery, Seoul National University Hospital, and compared them with single gastric cancer patients. The clinicopathologic features evaluated were age, sex, diagnostic method and accuracy, location of lesions, tumor size, histologic differentiation, Lauren classification, macroscopic classification, depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, TNM stage, and type of operation and prognosis.
RESULTS
The overall incidence of multiple synchronous gastric cancer was 2.33%. The mean age was 57.2 years old (27~84) and peak incidence was sixth decade. Male was predominant, that the sex ratio was 3.9: 1. Multiple gastric cancer was more frequent in old age, male and early gastric cancer patients. The number of lesions ranged from 2 to 5. In most cases, the lesions were located in lower two-thirds of the stomach. However, in 13 cases, lesions were located in both upper one-third and lower one-third. Only 33.3% of multiple cancer was diagnosed preoperatively, with the diagnostic accuracy of GFS was 30.0% and that of UGIS 26.1%. The most frequently missed lesions at preoperative examination were located in upper third of stomach, posterior wall of middle third and anterior wall of lower third of stomach. The most common macroscopic type was Borrmann type III (54.5%) in advanced lesions and type IIc (47.0%) in early lesions. Regarding the histologic differentiation, 58.7% of the cases were of the same differentiation and the cases composed of well differentiated adenocarcinomas were most common. According to the Laurens classification, 66.7% of lesions were intestinal type. As to the progression of the lesions, all lesions were early cancers in 75 cases, advanced cancers in 39 cases and advanced cancers were coexist with early cancers in 75 cases. Lymph node metastasis was less frequent than in single gastric cancer. Total gastrectomy was performed more frequently in multiple cancer patients than in single gastric cancer patients. The 5-year survival rate of patients with multiple gastric cancer was 70.2%, which was not significantly different from that of patients with single gastric cancer.
CONCLUSIONS
Surgeons must keep in mind the possibility of multiple gastric lesions. More careful preoperative and intraoperative examination is mandatory to detect the possible accessory lesions, and postoperative periodic follow-up is necessary to detect any missed lesions, especially in the old age, male and early gastric cancer patients.