Signet ring cell carcinoma is a special type of gastric cancer

Gastric signet ring cell carcinoma accounts for about 9.9% of gastric cancer and is a tumor with rapid progression and poor prognosis.

According to the pathological sections after surgery, gastric cancer can be pathologically divided into papillary adenocarcinoma, tubular adenocarcinoma, mucinous adenocarcinoma, signet ring cell carcinoma, poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, small cell carcinoma, etc. Signet ring cell carcinoma, also known as mucinous cell carcinoma, is a type of cancer cell that contains a lot of mucus. Because the cells are full of mucus, the cell nucleus is squeezed to one side of the cell, making it look like a ring, hence the name.

Signet ring cell carcinoma is more common in young women, which may be related to the vigorous estrogen metabolism in young women. Signet ring cell carcinoma tends to diffusely infiltrate clinically, and is often accompanied by obvious fibrosis or sclerosis. If it is discovered late, it is easy to infiltrate the entire stomach, causing the entire stomach wall to harden and present a "leather stomach". Once it develops to the "leather stomach" stage, it is often in the middle or late stage of gastric cancer, and the prognosis is poor.

If the signet ring cells penetrate the stomach wall and spread directly to the peritoneum or adjacent organs, surgical clearance will be more difficult. At the same time, radiotherapy is not sensitive enough to cancer cells containing more mucus. Therefore, early detection and early treatment are the key to affecting the efficacy and prognosis of signet ring cell carcinoma.

If surgery is performed early, the 5-year survival rate is 100%, while for other types of gastric cancer it is only 82.6%. If radical surgery is performed during the advanced stage of signet ring cell carcinoma, the 5-year survival rate is only 41.8%. Therefore, we should strive to detect the disease early and perform surgery early, which is the best treatment option.