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World J Gastrointest Endosc. Apr 16, 2023; 15(4): 240-247
Published online Apr 16, 2023. doi: 10.4253/wjge.v15.i4.240
Update on diagnosis and treatment of early signet-ring cell gastric carcinoma: A literature review
Yun-He Tang, Lin-Lin Ren, Tao Mao
Yun-He Tang, Lin-Lin Ren, Tao Mao, Department of Gastroenterology, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao 266000, Shandong Province, China
Author contributions: Tang YH and Ren LL wrote the manuscript; Mao T revised the manuscript; All authors have read and approve the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors have no conflict of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Tao Mao, MD, PhD, Associate Chief Physician, Doctor, Teacher, Department of Gastroenterology, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, No. 16 Jiangsu Road, Qingdao 266000, Shandong Province, China. maotao@qdu.edu.cn
Received: November 26, 2022
Peer-review started: November 26, 2022
First decision: January 23, 2023
Revised: February 2, 2023
Accepted: March 30, 2023
Article in press: March 30, 2023
Published online: April 16, 2023
Processing time: 138 Days and 19.5 Hours
Abstract

Gastric signet-ring cell gastric carcinoma (GSRC) is an unfavorable subtype of gastric cancer (GC) that presents with greater invasiveness and poorer prognosis in advanced stage than other types of GC. However, GSRC in early stage is often considered an indicator of less lymph node metastasis and more satisfying clinical outcome compared to poorly differentiated GC. Therefore, the detection and diagnosis of GSRC at early stage undoubtedly play a crucial role in the management of GSRC patients. In recent years, technological advancement in endoscopy including narrow-band imaging and magnifying endoscopy has significantly improved the accuracy and sensitivity of the diagnosis under endoscopy for GSRC patients. Researches have confirmed that early stage GSRC that meets the expanded criteria of endoscopic resection showed comparable outcomes to surgery after receiving endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), indicating that ESD could be considered standard treatment for GSRC after thorough selection and evaluation. This article summarizes the current knowledge and updates pertaining to the endoscopic diagnosis and treatment of early stage signet-ring cell gastric carcinoma.

Keywords: Gastric signet-ring cell gastric carcinoma; Narrow-band imaging; Magnified endoscopy; Endoscopic submucosal dissection

Core Tip: Gastric signet-ring cell gastric carcinoma (GSRC) represents a special subtype of gastric cancers with unique clinical and pathological characteristics. With the advancement of endoscopic technology, the diagnosis and curability of early GSRC have been substantially improved. This overview gives the latest update on the endoscopic diagnosis and treatment of early GSRC.