Background/aims: Little information regarding synchronous gastric cancer (GC) associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is available. The aim of this study was to clarify the clinicopathologic features of synchronous GC associated with HCC, and we also discuss the diagnostic and therapeutic issues regarding them.
Methodology: In a series of 396 patients with GC and 340 patients with HCC, we investigated the clinicopathologic features of the patients with synchronous GC associated with HCC (HCC group; n=10). They were compared to the patients with resected GC without HCC (non-HCC group) which was divided into 2 groups: with chronic hepatic disease (CHD: CHD group; n=15) and without CHD (Control group; n=345).
Results: The HCC group consisted of 10 of the 396 patients with GC (2.6%), and of 340 with HCC (2.9%). Eight node-negative early GC and 2 advanced GC cases were observed in the HCC group. Nine of these GC (90%) were well-differentiated adenocarcinoma. The tumor sizes of the HCC group were significantly smaller than those of the control group (p<0.05). The incidences of intestinal type and early GC in the HCC group were significantly higher than those in the control group, (p<0.05). However, there were no significant differences in any parameters between the HCC group and CHD group. With regard to early GC, there were no significant differences in any parameters, excluding the site of GC in the CHD group, between the HCC group and non-HCC group. Eight in the HCC group were surgically resected, and the post-operative period of these patients was uneventful. Although there were no significant differences in survival after surgery among the 3 groups, the survival of the patients with early GC in the HCC group was significantly worse than that in the control group (p<0.01).
Conclusions: The clinicopathologic features of synchronous GC associated with HCC are not very aggressive in most patients probably because of the early detection, and those of early GC with HCC appeared to resemble that of GC with CHD. Since early GC may not influence the clinical outcome of HCC patients, limited gastric resection can be recommended even when curative surgery for HCC is performed. By contrast, when advanced GC is present, curative gastrectomy with lymphadenectomy would be advisable to improve the long-term survival.