Signet ring cell variant of ampullary cancer - rare and aggressive variant.

Abstract

Background: INTRODUCTION: Ampullary cancers are rare accounting for 0.2 % of all gastrointestinal cancers. Majority being adenocarcinomas, other varieties include papillary, adenosquamous and mucinous. Histologically they are defined as being intestinal or pancreatobiliary in origin. Signet ring is a rare variant of adenocarcinoma, characterized by having more than 50 % of mucin secreting cells and clinically having a worse prognosis. most commonly found in the stomach, signet ring variety of the ampulla is an unusual variant with only a handful of cases being reported in the literature.