GASTRIC CARCINOIDS - A STATISTICAL EVALUATION OF 1094 CASES COLLECTEDFROM THE LITERATURE

Gastric carcinoids are a rare gut endocrinoma, and only a few series d ealing with limited aspects have been published. This study evaluates the present status and characteristics of gastric carcinoids in a stat istically reliable series of 1094 cases that were carefully evaluated, computerized, and analyzed by the ''Gut-Pancreatic Endocrinoma Analyz ing System,'' Routine statistical analysis was carried out on 1011 pat ients, excluding 83 with atypical carcinoids, focusing on clinical man ifestations, location, depth, and size of the lesions in relation to m etastases, immunohistochemistry, carcinoid syndrome, serotonin activit y, electron microscopy, multicarcinoid complex with type A gastritis, and postoperative outcome. A tumor size of 20mm or less comprised 60.8 % of the series, with a metastasis rate of 15.1%, and depth of invasio n to the submucosa occupied 53.8%, with a metastasis rate of 13.2%. Ca rcinoid syndrome was encountered in 4.0% of the patients. Elevated ser otonin activity was detected in 22.3% overall and in 67.7% of the pati ents with carcinoid syndrome (P < 0.01). Multicarcinoid complex with t ype A gastritis was detected in 140 of 347 patients with multicarcinoi d complex, and 97.1% had associated lesions in the nonantral regions o f the stomach. A comparative evaluation between patients with and with out type A gastritis indicated a number of significant differences inc luding male to female ratio, age distribution, location, tumor size, d epth of invasion, metastasis, and prognosis.