Clinicopathologic Significance of Gastric Adenocarcinoma with Neuroendocrine Features

PURPOSE Composite neuroendocrine-exocrine carcinomas are malignancies that have two distinct components residing within the same tumor: an adenocarcinomatous portion and a neuroendocrine portion. This is rare in gastric cancers; however, poorly differentiated adenocarcinomas can sometimes reveal evidence of neuroendocrine features (NEF) or be 'mixed endocrine and exocrine carcinomas'. This study aimed to review NEF in gastric adenocarcinoma and to evaluate its prognostic significance. MATERIALS AND METHODS We selected 29 patients who were diagnosed with gastric adenocarcinoma with NEF and received gastrectomies at the Department of Surgery, Ajou University Hospital between January 2001 and December 2009. We analyzed the clinicopathologic features of gastric cancer with NEF and the prognosis associated with such tumors. RESULTS THE PATHOLOGIC RESULT WITH RESPECT TO TNM STAGING OF THE GASTRIC CANCERS WITH NEF WERE AS FOLLOWS: 5 cases of T1, 5 cases of T2, 10 cases of T3, and 9 cases of T4. There were 7 cases of N0, 7 cases of N1, 8 cases of N2 and 7 cases of N3. The staging of patients with NEF was higher than that of patients without NEF. Especially tumor lymphovascular invasion rate was 82.8%. The overall survival of patients with gastric cancer characterized by NEF was 73.8 months. CONCLUSIONS Positive NEF status might be correlated with clinicopathologic parameters such as a high stage and high frequency of regional lymph node metastasis.