A case of systemic sclerosis associated with gastric cancer

We report the case of a 47-year-old woman who began to experience stiffness and Raynaud's phenomenon of her fingers and toes as well as easy fatigability approximately one year before initial evaluation. Histopathologic examination revealed dense fibrosis and perivascular lymphoid cell infiltration in the dermis. The patient's diagnosis was systemic sclerosis (SSc). Esophageal sclerosis was not revealed, but an early type IIb carcinoma of the gastric antrum was noted by endoscopic examination. Other recent reports have discussed the association of SSc with various malignant carcinomas. We also reviewed the literature for associations between SSc and gastric cancer in Japanese patients.