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

Summary 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...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of gerontology 2012-03, Vol.6 (1), p.49-51
Main Authors: Yu, Fa-Chang, Bair, Ming-Jong, Chen, Huan-Lin, Lin, I.-Tsung, Wu, Chia-Hsien, Yen, Yu-Shan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
elderly
Internal Medicine
poor prognosis
small-cell carcinoma
stomach
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Summary:Summary 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.
ISSN:1873-9598
DOI:10.1016/j.ijge.2012.01.001