Mixed (composite) glandular-endocrine cell carcinoma of the stomach. Report of a case and review of literature

Abstract

A case of mixed (composite) glandular-endocrine cell carcinoma of the stomach is presented. Whereas the admixture of rare endocrine cells in ordinary adenocarcinoma of the stomach is a rather frequent occurrence, gastric tumors with an approximately equal proportion of glandular and endocrine cells are rare, and only 20 well-documented cases have been reported. Our case is unique in its range of histopathologic patterns, including well-differentiated and poorly differentiated adenoendocrine carcinoma as well as amphicrine differentiation. Immunohistochemical and electron microscopic findings are documented and the clinical characteristics of all reported cases tabulated. From the limited experience of these 21 cases, glandular-endocrine carcinoma of the stomach is found to have the following clinicopathologic features: It affects adults aged 32 to 74 years, (mean, 52.5 years) and has a male:female ratio of 1.3:1. It is located with almost equal frequency in the gastric body and antrum and has a poor prognosis, similar to that of advanced ordinary gastric carcinoma.