SIMULTANEOUS EARLY GASTRIC-CANCER IN IDENTICAL-TWINS - REPORT OF A CASE

We report the unusual case of identical male twins developing early ga stric cancers that were found almost simultaneously, A 39-year-old man underwent a barium-swallow examination to investigate the cause of ri ght hypochondrial discomfort; the examination revealed evidence of gas tric cancer in the upper body of the stomach, A diagnosis of adenocarc inoma was confirmed by endoscopic biopsy, and a total gastrectomy was performed. Subsequent screening of the patient's asymptomatic identica l twin revealed gastric cancer in the lower body of the stomach, for w hich distal gastrectomy with Billroth I reconstruction was performed, The histopathological types of the two cancers were similar and both h ad infiltrated the submucosa, The relevant etiological factors contrib uting to the development of gastric adenocarcinoma in these identical twins is discussed, following the case report.