Gastric syphilis: case report and review of the literature

A 35-year-old Japanese woman consulted our clinic with a one-month history of epigastric pain. Although a superficial depressed type of early gastric carcinoma was highly suspected from the results of upper gastrointestinal barium studies and gastroscopy, there was no evidence of malignancy in the biopsy specimen. Gastric syphilis was then considered based on skin lesions and serological studies. Diagnostic antisyphilitic therapy improved the symptoms and gastric lesion promptly. A review of the recent reports indicated that most cases of early phase gastric syphilis seem to present morphologically either as a narrowing lesion or shallow ulcero-nodular lesion at the pyloric antrum. Therefore, whenever such findings are recognized either radiologically or gastroscopically and no malignant cells are found in biopsy specimens, gastric syphilis and diagnostic antisyphilitic therapy should be considered.