Colon Metastasis, 8 years after Gastrectomy, for Stage I Gastric Cancer

A rare case of colorectal metastasis found 8 years and 10 months after gastrectomy for advanced gastric cancer: A case report and literature review

Colorectal metastasis from gastric cancer is rare and may develop several years after gastric cancer surgery. Therefore, colonoscopic findings provide useful diagnostic information. The present report describes a case of gastric cancer colon metastasis diagnosed 8 years and 10 months after gastrectomy for advanced gastric cancer. A 64-year-old male patient underwent gastrectomy in December 2010 and received chemotherapy for 4 years and 10 months after the surgery. Subsequently, the patient was diagnosed as having colorectal cancer by computed tomography in February 2019. Colonoscopy revealed linitis plastica-like colon stenosis; however, biopsy pathology did not reveal any findings indicating malignancy. Right hemicolectomy was performed, and pathological examination revealed colon metastasis from gastric cancer. The patient received chemotherapy but died of peritoneal carcinomatosis 1 year and 8 months after the colectomy. According to literature, colorectal metastasis from gastric cancer is often attributed to hematogenous metastasis and often exhibits characteristic macroscopic features. Treatments, such as chemotherapy for gastric cancer and/or colorectal resection, are considered effective for gastric cancer colorectal metastasis.

Simultaneous colonic metastasis of advanced gastric cancer: a case report

BACKGROUND

Although distant metastasis in gastric cancer can be present at the time of the initial diagnosis, colonic metastasis is extremely rare. This report describes a case of simultaneous colonic metastasis of advanced gastric cancer.

CASE PRESENTATION

The patient was a 78-year-old woman with nausea and epigastric pain. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed an advanced invasive ulcerative tumor in the lesser curvature of the stomach extending from the anterior to the middle portion. Colonoscopy revealed a 4-mm polyp-like lesion in the mid-transverse colon; therefore, a polypectomy was performed. Both gastric and colonic tumors showed poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma with signet ring cell carcinoma. After providing informed consent, the patient underwent a total gastrectomy. Histologic examination showed similar morphologic features of both gastric and colonic tumors. Immunohistochemistry staining showed that these tumor cells were positive for cytokeratin (CK) 7 and negative for CK20.

CONCLUSIONS

This was an extremely rare case of simultaneous colonic metastasis of advanced gastric cancer. Because missed metastasis can result in a poorer prognosis, we propose a systemic search including colonoscopy for patients with advanced gastric cancer, especially cases involving poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma or signet ring cell carcinoma.

Metastatic Gastric Cancer to the Colon

Gastric cancer is one of the most common and deadly cancers worldwide, especially amongst older males. Current data suggest gastric cancer is the fifth most common neoplasm and the third most deadly cancer, with an estimated 783,000 deaths in 2018. Risk factors associated with the development of gastric cancer include obesity, gastroesophageal reflux disease, Helicobacter pylori infection, and low socioeconomic status. Diagnosis of gastric cancer can be accomplished by endoscopy, which allows the clinician to obtain a biopsy specimen. Endoscopic ultrasound is also an important modality that is helpful in assessing tumor invasion. The most common sites of metastatic gastric cancer in descending order are the liver, peritoneum, lung and bone. Rarely will gastric cancer metastasize to the colon. Here we present a rare case of colonic metastasis of a primary gastric adenocarcinoma.