Clinicopathologic features of gastric carcinoma with signet ring cell histology

Reports of clinicopathological features and prognosis in patients with signet ring cell carcinoma of the stomach (SRC) are conflicting. The aim was to describe the clinicopathological features and prognosis of patients with SRC in comparison with non-signet ring cell carcinoma of the stomach (NSRC).

In this retrospective study, we reviewed the records of 1,439 consecutive patients diagnosed with gastric carcinoma who were resected surgically from 1993 to 2003. Among them, 218 patients (15.1%) with SRC were compared with 1,221 patients with NSRC.

There were significant differences in tumor size, tumor location, macroscopic type, depth on invasion, lymph node metastasis, lymphatic invasion, tumor stage, chemotherapy, and curability between the patients with SRC histology and NSRC. The overall 5-year survival of patients with SRC was 44.9% as compared with 36.0% for patients with NSRC (P = 0.013). Multivariate analysis showed that lymph node metastasis and curative resection were significant factors affecting survival. A significant survival benefit for curative resection was observed, with a 5-year survival rate of 58.5% compared with non-curatively resected cases (8.4%).

When stage matched, SRC patients had a similar survival to NSRC patients. Curative resection is recommended to improve the prognosis of patients with SRC.