Depressed type primary signet ring cell carcinoma of the colon: A case report

Abstract

The term “signet ring cell carcinoma” refers histologically to a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma with imperfectly formed glandular elements consisting of cells in which intracytoplasmic mucin compresses the nucleus against the periphery to give the cell a characteristic signet ring appearance. Such tumors occur mostly in the stomach, 1 Chowdhury JR Das K Das KM. Primary linitis plastica of the colon: report of a case and review of the literature. Dis Colon Rectum. 1975; 18: 332-338 Crossref PubMed Scopus (31) Google Scholar and primary signet ring cell carcinoma of the colon is a rare disease. The histology of a depressed type colon cancer is usually well-differentiated adenocarcinoma, and several reports have described its endoscopic appearance. 2 Shimoda T Ikegami M Fujisaki J Matsui T Aizawa S Ishikawa E Early colorectal carcinoma with special reference to its development “de novo.”. Cancer. 1989; 64: 1138-1146 Crossref PubMed Scopus (392) Google Scholar , 3 Iishi H Tatsuta M Tsutsui S Imanishi K Otani T Okuda S et al. Early depressed adenocarcinoma of the large intestine. Cancer. 1992; 69: 2406-2410 Crossref PubMed Scopus (102) Google Scholar , 4 Minamoto T Sawagushi K Ohta T Itoh T Mai M. Superficial type adenomas and adenocarcinomas of the colon and rectum: a comparative morphological study. Gastroenterology. 1994; 106: 1436-1443 PubMed Google Scholar However, there are few accounts of the endoscopic appearance of the depressed type of signet ring cell carcinoma because this type of carcinoma is rarely diagnosed at an early stage. This is a report of the morphologic features of a case of signet ring cell adenocarcinoma of the descending colon.