Gastric yolk sac tumor with synchronous liver metastasis: first case report in China

Gastric yolk sac tumors (YSTs) are extremely rare and often present a grave clinical course at the time of diagnosis. The prognosis of gastric YSTs is poor; the effective therapeutic approach beyond early diagnosis and curative resection is still uncertain. Here we first report a case of gastric YST without relevant clinical symptoms, presenting liver mass as the first performance. The patient was diagnosed with gastric YST with synchronous liver metastasis and underwent simultaneous resection of the primary gastric lesion and liver metastasis successfully. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of gastric YST in China. AFP is a prognostic marker for recurrence and survival of gastric YST. Histologically, a reticular pattern (a clear-cell endoblastic pattern) with glomerulus-like structures (Schiller-Duval bodies) is golden criteria of diagnosis for YST. Our case will contribute to understanding the clinical characteristics of this rare disease.