[Gastric metastasis from small cell lung cancer]

Small cell carcinomas are most frequently localised within the lung, however, they also may be detected at extrapulmonary sites such as the gastrointestinal tract and the genitourinary tract. The confirmation of a small cell carcinoma outside of the lung may not necessarily indicate the presence of a metastasis, however, it also may represent the primary tumor itself. We present the case of a patient with a small cell carcinoma of the lung with metastases to the stomach. A regression of the primary lung tumor and the disappearance of the gastric metastases could be achieved by chemotherapeutic treatment with carboplatin, etoposide, and vincristine. However, death due to pneumonia occurred 3 months after initial diagnosis. This case illustrates that in rare cases a metastasis from small cell lung cancer may occur in the intestinal tract even without leading to distinctive symptoms.