Clinicopathological properties of poorly-differentiated adenocarcinoma of the stomach: comparison of solid- and non-solid-types.

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to clarify the clinicopathological and biological properties of the poorly-differentiated types of gastric carcinoma (solid-type and non-solid-type). PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 1,558 patients with primary gastric adenocarcinomas were enrolled in this study. The surgical results were compared. RESULTS Patients with non-solid-type tumors tended to be younger females with peritoneal or lymph node metastases and lymphatic invasion, and with tumors that were ill-defined, of larger diameter and deeper. Those patients with differentiated tumors tended to have the opposite characteristics of those patients with non-solid-type tumors. Patients with solid-type tumors had intermediate characteristics. The survival in patients with non-solid-type tumors was poor compared to those with differentiated or solid-type tumors. There was a significant difference in the survival of stage III tumors with either solid- or non-solid-type tumors (p=0.0480). CONCLUSION Therapeutic strategies should be based on the histological type of the tumor in patients with poorly-differentiated gastric adenocarcinoma.