Small gastrointestinal stromal tumor concomitant with early gastric cancer: a case report

The term gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) is defined diagnostically as the main group of mesenchymal tumors with spindle or epithelioid cells arising from the wall of the gastrointestinal tract with immunohistochemical reactivity for CD117 antibody. Previous studies revealed that cells in GISTs express a growth factor receptor with tyrosine kinase activity (termed c-kit), which is the product of the c-kit proto-oncogene. The most specific and practical diagnostic criteria for GISTs are: immunohistochemically determined c-kit (CD117) expression; mitotic score; and tumor size. A small GIST concomitant with early gastric cancer is rarely encountered clinically. Herein we have reported a case of a 1.1-cm GIST detected by esophagogastroduodenoscopy concomitant with a IIc type of early gastric cancer (signet ring cell type). It was detected during a routine physical health examination. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a small GIST concomitant with a signet ring cell type of early gastric cancer.