Intestinal and diffuse gastric cancer: a retrospective study comparing primary sites

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Medical Imaging
• Pathology

Background:

• Gastric carcinoma presents as intestinal and diffuse subtypes.
• Understanding subtype-specific spread patterns is crucial for prognosis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze differences in primary sites and metastasis patterns between intestinal and diffuse gastric carcinoma subtypes.
• To compare survival outcomes based on observed spread patterns.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 99 treatment-naïve gastric cancer patients.
• Correlation of tumor pathology with metastatic sites using Pearson's chi-squared test.
• Comparison of survival curves using Kaplan-Meier analysis and heat map visualization.

Main Results:

• Intestinal subtype associated with hepatic metastases (p<0.001).
• Diffuse subtype linked to peritoneal metastases (omental, gastrosplenic ligament, mesocolonic implants; p<0.006, p<0.004, p<0.008).
• Peritoneal metastases significantly reduced overall survival (p<0.001); hepatic metastases did not affect survival (p=0.16).

Conclusions:

• Distinct metastatic patterns exist for intestinal and diffuse gastric carcinoma subtypes.
• Radiologists can use these patterns for diagnosis.
• Identifying spread patterns aids in guiding clinical management decisions.