Retroperitoneal fibrosis associated with scirrhous gastric cancer

Retroperitoneal fibrosis as a result of signet ring cell gastric cancer: a case-based review

BACKGROUND

Retroperitoneal fibrosis is a rare and obvious condition in the abdominopelvic cavity. Signet ring cell carcinoma of the stomach with gross appearance of linitis plastica is another rare association.

CASE PRESENTATION

We present a rare case of a 49-year-old woman presenting with persistent nausea and vomiting for 20 days. Three months ago, she was admitted with severe flank pain and was referred to the urology service. She was placed with stents for strictures in both ureters. She underwent endoscopy for heartburn, melena, dyspepsia, and weight loss (7 kg/5 month), which revealed congestion of the mucosa of the fundus and body with fine linear erosion and decreased distensibility of the stomach suggesting linitis plastica. A biopsy indicated full-thickness infiltration by signet ring cell gastric cancer. A CT scan showed evidence of retroperitoneal fibrosis with large lymph nodes around the aorta.

CONCLUSION

This paper shows that the gastric linitis plastica can present with many deceptive clinical presentations, raising the risk of postponed diagnosis.

Retroperitoneal fibrosis in a patient with gastric cancer manifested by lower extremity edema and hydrocele

Herein we report a 57-year-old man with lower extremity edema and swelling in the scrotum who was found to have a periaortic soft tissue mass and hydronephrosis by computed tomography. With the most plausible diagnosis of retroperitoneal fibrosis, corticosteroid therapy was initiated; however, it did not improve his symptoms. Upper gastroscopy performed on day 20 post admission showed ulcerative regions with an irregular border and fusion of thickened rugae at the gastric angle; the diagnosis of gastric adenocarcinoma was confirmed histologically. It is important to always be aware of unrecognized malignancies that are accompanied by retroperitoneal fibrosis.

A Rare Presentation of AKI: Gastric Infiltration of the Bladder Wall

We describe the case of a man who presented with back pain and acute kidney injury and was found to have bilateral ureteral obstruction, which initially corrected with ureteral stents. Imaging studies showed thickening of the bladder. Shortly thereafter, he developed obstructive jaundice, pancreatitis, recurrence of renal failure, and was diagnosed with advanced gastric cancer after a laparotomy revealed peritoneal carcinomatosis. The patient deteriorated rapidly after diagnosis. While peritoneal carcinomatosis, ureteral metastases, and extrinsic ureteral compression have been recognized in gastric cancer, obstructive renal failure due to tumor infiltration of the bladder wall is seldom described. We present this case as an unusual cause of acute renal failure and presentation of gastric cancer.

Ureteral metastasis as the first and sole manifestation of gastric cancer dissemination

Background

Isolated ureteral metastasis from gastric cancer is extremely rare.

Case report

We describe a 50 year old man with a history of subtotal gastrectomy who presented 4 years later with an ureteral metastasis. He was asymptomatic and diagnostic tests were performed due to the elevated creatinine level disclosed incidentally. The partial resection of distal right ureter as well as the resection of the right ureterovesical junction was performed with the implantation of double J stent. Histopathology revealed a metastasis of the adenocarcinoma that matched perfectly a tumour specimen from the gastric cancer surgery. It was first and isolated manifestation of gastric cancer dissemination.

Conclusions

Although rare, the ureteral metastasis from gastric cancer can be the first, sole and asymptomatic manifestation of gastric cancer dissemination after a period of time.

[From retroperitoneal fibrosis to gastric linitis]

Retroperitoneal fibrosis may reveal many diseases, including neoplasias. An 83-year-old man presented with an acute renal failure due to compressive retroperitoneal fibrosis. Clinically the only abnormal feature was a cutaneous subclavicular infiltrated lesion and laboratory features included hypereosinophilia, anemia and elevated acute phase reactants. A thoracic CT-scan showed pleuritis and para-esophageal lymph node and the 18FDG-PET-scan an hypermetabolism lesion of the oesophagus. Gastroscopy and colonoscopy found a gastric linitis, already multi-metastatic at diagnosis. The gastric linitis can present with many decepting clinical forms, increasing the risk of delayed diagnosis.

Case report: retroperitoneal fibrosis simulating local relapse of sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Generally, retroperitoneal fibrosis is an idiopathic process that envelopes and displaces ureters, causing hydronefrosis and renal failure. CT scan is the best choice for diagnosis. Other aetiologies described are malignancies, drugs, aorta aneurisms and immunological or rheumatological diseases.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 53-year-old male with hypertension and diabetes was operated on radical nephrectomy for renal mass. Pathological examination showed sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma, Fürhman 3 grade, pT2 N0. Within 6 months of surgery, control CT scan demonstrated a left retroperitoneal mass, without separation with pancreas queue and spleen hilium, suggesting local relapse. Resection of the mass with splenectomy and partial pancreatectomy en bloc was performed. Microscopic evaluation revealed a dense collagenic tissue with a prominent inflammatory infiltrate, and the immunohistochemical study was negative for cytokeratin AE1-AE3. There was no evidence of malignancy in the histological examination. All these findings aided to diagnose a retroperitoneal fibrosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Sometimes retroperitoneal fibrosis can simulate or is associated to malignancies. Presentation of a retroperitoneal fibrosis simulating local relapse of sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma has not been previously reported in the English literature.