Background: Multiple primary carcinomas are increasingly being found because of the development of diagnostic techniques and the increasing incidence of early stage carcinoma. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and clinicopathological features of gastric carcinoma patients with other primary carcinomas.
Methods: There were 65 (incidence 2.6%) gastric carcinoma patients with other primary carcinomas compared with 2,444 patients with gastric carcinoma alone.
Results: Associated primary carcinomas were often found in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, especially in the colon (33.8%). In patients with gastric carcinoma only, poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma was the most common (43.2%), followed by moderately and well-differentiated adenocarcinoma. Similarly, poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma (33.8%) was also the prevalent histological type in gastric carcinoma patients with other primary carcinomas, although its incidence was lower. The stage of gastric carcinoma did not differ between the two groups. The estimated 5-year survival rate was 51.6% for patients with gastric carcinoma alone, and 50.7% for those with other primary carcinomas; the difference was not significant (P=0.82).
Conclusion: Gastric carcinoma should be treated aggressively, since the prognosis of gastric carcinoma patients treated for other primary carcinomas is not poorer than that of patients treated for gastric carcinoma alone.