[Multifocal gastric carcinoid associated with chronic type A atrophic gastritis. Analysis of 2 clinical cases]

Gastric carcinoid is a rare disease, representing less than 1% of gastric tumours and 11-41% of all gastrointestinal carcinoids. The recent Solcia's classification distinguishes three subtypes of these neoplasms, which show specific clinical and pathological features. Type one arises in patients with chronic atrophic gastritis (CGA), achlorhydria, hypergastrinemia and consequent enterochromaffin-like cell hyperplasia and dysplasia. Type two is related to Zollinger Ellison syndrome and type three represents the sporadic kind. We report two cases of multifocal gastric carcinoid associated to CGA, one of them with pernicious anemia. Both patients had aspecific abdominal symptoms; the diagnosis was suspected by upper endoscopy and confirmed by histological examination. Patients were submitted to total gastrectomy. They are still alive six years after surgery, without signs or symptoms of recurrences. Treatment of these tumours is controversial, because of their uncertain biological and clinical behaviour. Some Authors propose a conservative strategy (only endoscopic surveillance or removal); others stress importance of surgery (antrectomy or gastric resection). We discuss and underline the role of surgical therapy and the relevance of radical approach.