A rare case of gastric cancer in an acromegalic patient

J Gastroenterol. 1997 Aug;32(4):528-32. doi: 10.1007/BF02934094.

Abstract

Although it has been demonstrated that acromegalic patients have an increased risk of neoplasms, especially colon neoplasms, gastric cancer with acromegaly is very rare--only five cases have been reported to date in Japan. We report here a rare case of gastric cancer with acromegaly in a 58-year-old woman, whose acromegalic change began at age 44. This patient showed typical clinical features of acromegaly, with increased concentrations of blood growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I); she had four types of neoplasms; gastric cancer, colon tubular adenoma with moderate atypia, pancreatic mucinous cystadenoma, and subcutaneous lipoma. The gastric cancer was macroscopically 0-IIc type, 3.0 x 2.5 cm in size, and histologically diagnosed as a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma with limited invasion of the mucosal layer. The previously documented stimulatory effects of GH and/or IGF-I on tumorigenesis and cell proliferation may have been responsible for the development of the multiple neoplasms in our patient.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Acromegaly / complications*
  • Acromegaly / diagnostic imaging
  • Adenocarcinoma / complications*
  • Adenocarcinoma / diagnosis
  • Adenocarcinoma / pathology
  • Adenoma / complications
  • Biopsy
  • Cystadenoma / complications
  • Cystadenoma / pathology
  • Cysts / complications
  • Cysts / pathology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoplasms, Multiple Primary / complications
  • Pancreatic Diseases / complications
  • Pancreatic Diseases / pathology
  • Pituitary Neoplasms / complications
  • Radiography
  • Stomach Neoplasms / complications*
  • Stomach Neoplasms / diagnosis
  • Stomach Neoplasms / pathology