[Clinicopathological features and prognostic analysis of patients with signet ring cell gastric carcinoma].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinicopathological features of signet ring cell gastric carcinoma (SRCC) with those of non-signet ring cell cancers and explore the prognostic factors of signet ring cell gastric carcinoma. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 1447 gastric cancer patients, including gastric signet ring cell and non-signet ring cell cancers. Their clinicopathological characteristics and overall survival data were analyzed. RESULTS: The differences in the age, sex, tumor location, depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, TNM classification and surgical type were significant between gastric signet ring cell and non-signet ring cell gastric carcinomas. The 5-year survival rate of the patients with gastric signet ring cell carcinoma was 29.6%, while that of the non-signet ring cell cancers was 42.9% (P < 0.05). The 5-year survival rate for each stage of gastric signet ring cell carcinoma and non-signet ring cell cancers was 71.0% and 79.3% for stage I, 45.6% and 58.3% for stage II, 16.9% and 29.2% for stage III, and 6.0% and 11.9% for stage IV cases, respectively, with a significant difference only between stages III and IV cancers (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that tumor diameter, T stage and N stage were independent prognostic factors for signet ring cell gastric carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: The signet ring cell gastric carcinoma has unique clinicopathological features compared with non-signet ring cell carcinoma. Early detection and treatment can improve the prognosis for patients with gastric signet ring cell carcinoma.