A type of neoplasia deadlier than gastric adenocarcinoma? Report of a case of primary gastric squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract

Background Primary gastric squamous cell carcinoma is an extremely rare malignancy with few case reports reported so far in the current medical literature. Its incidence varies between 0.04 and 0.07% of all gastric malignancies with a male predominance in the sixth decade of life. It has been found that this type of malignancy has a more aggressive behavior and associated poorer prognosis, when compared to gastric adenocarcinoma. Thus, the most appropriate management of this kind of neoplasia is still debatable due to the small number of reported cases. Case presentation We report the case of a 66-year-old man who underwent total gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy for an ulcerative lesion in the fundus of the stomach that turned out to be primary gastric squamous cell carcinoma. Conclusions Upon confirmation of this specific malignancy, the affected patients should be enrolled in strict follow-up protocols after curative surgery, since the risk for metastasis is high. Physicians should maintain high clinical suspicion in order to diagnose these tumors at an early stage, along with the need to rule out any other possible primary sites of squamous malignancy.

Primary gastric squamous cell carcinoma: case report

“…Immunohistochemistry plays a crucial role in the diagnosis, as demonstrated in our patient, with positivity for CK5/6 and p40 [ 5–8 ]. No standard treatment strategy is defined by ESMO or NCCN [ 7 , 9 ]. For non-metastatic disease, surgical resection R0 with D2 lymphadenectomy remains the main therapeutic approach and the only potential cure for localized disease [ 5–9 ].…”

Clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of gastric malignancies based on the SEER database

“…Studies have found that compared with gastric adenocarcinoma, gastric squamous cell carcinoma is more aggressive and has a worse prognosis. It is speculated that the reason may be that gastric squamous cell carcinoma is mostly in an advanced stage at the time of diagnosis [34][35][36] . This study found that the MST of gastric squamous cell carcinoma was the shortest, only 6 months, and the OS of 5 years was 13%.…”

Predictors of survival outcomes among patients with gastric cancer in a leading tertiary, teaching and referral hospital in Kenya

“…The mean survival estimate of squamous cell carcinoma (17.3 months) was shorter than adenocarcinoma (49.1 months), suggesting gastric squamous cell carcinoma had poorer survival outcomes than gastric adenocarcinoma. This could probably be linked to the aggressive nature of squamous cell carcinoma and its frequent diagnosis at the advanced stage 28,29 . Hence, early screening and aggressive treatment modalities are highly recommended to improve survival in these patient populations.…”

“…This could probably be linked to the aggressive nature of squamous cell carcinoma and its frequent diagnosis at the advanced stage. 28 , 29 Hence, early screening and aggressive treatment modalities are highly recommended to improve survival in these patient populations. This finding agrees with other studies in China.…”