Study of clinicopathological factors associated with the occurrence of synchronous multiple gastric carcinomas

Multiple gastric carcinomas often arise in gastric mucosa with chronic gastritis, particularly severe intestinal metaplasia. In regard to such characteristics, several clinicopathological risk factors for multiple carcinomas have been reported, but no clinically useful criteria are available at present for assessing the onset of multiple gastric carcinomas. If the risk for multiple gastric carcinomas could be accurately assessed, efficient and accurate surveillance could be performed following minimally invasive therapies.

In the present study, we investigated clinicopathological differences between 94 cases of multiple early gastric carcinomas and 285 cases of solitary early gastric carcinoma. We tested 379 specimens of gastric carcinomas that had been surgically resected at the Department of General and Gastroenterological Surgery of Osaka Medical College, Japan, from April 1999 to December 2006.

Univariate analysis of clinicopathological factors in the present study showed that multiple gastric carcinomas were significantly correlated to old age (> or =65 years), well- and moderately differentiated histological type, mucin phenotype (intestinal type), distribution of atrophic mucosa in the stomach (severe), degree of intestinal metaplasia in the surrounding mucosa (severe), and heterotopic glandular cysts. Multivariate analysis using the stepwise method identified age (> or =65 years) and degree of intestinal metaplasia in the surrounding mucosa (severe) as significant independent risk factors for multiple gastric carcinomas.

While other studies have shown risk factors for multiple gastric carcinomas, the present study is unique in showing risk assessment criteria based on a combination of risk factors for multiple gastric carcinomas.