Disappearing Signet Ring Cell Adenocarcinoma in Gastric Cancer Patients

The incidence of diffuse-type gastric cancer is increasing steadily in the United States, Europe, and Asia. This subtype is known for aggressive clinical characteristics and transmural invasion. However, T1a diffuse-type cancers have been observed to have a better 5-year, disease-specific mortality than stage-matched intestinal tumors, supporting a clinical difference in these early-stage cancers.

Data on all living patients with T1a gastric adenocarcinoma with a finding of signet ring cell morphology on pathology and ≥1 year of follow-up from 2013 to 2023 at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) was collected from a prospectively maintained database. Patients with known CDH1 or CTNNA1 mutations were excluded.

In 7 of 30 patients, sporadic pathologically confirmed T1a signet ring cell (diffuse) cancer identified on initial biopsy was no longer detectable upon subsequent biopsy or resection with mean follow-up of 50 months.

These cases allude to the distinct pathways of carcinogenesis in T1a signet ring cell cancers. Potential factors that may underlie the spontaneous regression of these T1a cancers include complete removal at initial biopsy, immune clearance, and lack of survival advantage conferred by signet ring cell genetic alterations in these cases. Given their more indolent behavior at an earlier stage, we suggest that these lesions can be closely followed by endoscopy in select circumstances with thorough disease assessment and an experienced care team.