A Rare Case of Lymph Node Metastasis from Early Gastric Cancer

• Published in: Clinical endoscopy Vol. 52; no. 4; pp. 369 - 372
• Main Authors: Takaaki Yoshikawa, Yoshio Kadokawa, Masaya Ohana, Akihisa Fukuda, Hiroshi Seno
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Korean
• Published: 대한소화기내시경학회 30-07-2019
• Subjects: Alpha-fetoproteins; Early gastric cancer; Endoscopic resection; Gastric hyperplastic polyp; Lymph node metastasis
• ISSN: 2234-2400

Gastric cancers that fulfill the Japanese criteria for curative endoscopic resection show a low risk of lymph node (LN) metastasis. Here, we report a case of LN metastasis from early gastric cancer that fulfilled the curative criteria. A 74-year-old Japanese woman was referred to our hospital for treatment of early gastric cancer identified at the site of a hyperplastic polyp that had been diagnosed 10 years prior to presentation. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography did not show any lymphadenopathy and laparoscopy-assisted distal gastrectomy was performed. Histopathological examination revealed a predominantly moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma that measured 15 mm in size and was confined to the mucosa. However, a single metastatic regional LN was observed. A few cancer cells showed positive staining for alpha-fetoprotein. It should be noted that early gastric cancer can be accompanied by LN metastasis even if it fulfills the criteria for curative endoscopic resection. Clin Endosc 2019;52:369-372