Linitis plastica
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Linitis plastica (sometimes referred to as leather bottle stomach) is a morphological variant of diffuse stomach cancer in which the stomach wall becomes thick and rigid.<ref name=":0" />
Linitis plastica is a type of adenocarcinoma and accounts for 3–19% of gastric adenocarcinomas.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite journal</ref> Causes of cancerous linitis plastica are commonly primary gastric cancer, but in rarer cases could be metastatic infiltration of the stomach, particularly breast and lung carcinoma.<ref name="RobbinsBasic">Robbins Basic Pathology, 8th Edition</ref> It is not associated with H. pylori infection or chronic gastritis. The risk factors are undefined, except for rare inherited mutations in E-cadherin. The hereditary form of this cancer, hereditary diffuse gastric cancer, accounts for only 1–3% of gastric adenocarcinomas. Somatic mutations in this gene are found in about 50% of diffuse-type gastric carcinomas.<ref name="RobbinsBasic" />
Signs and symptomsEdit
Diffuse stomach cancer is characterized by the presence of poorly differentiated tumor cells. Under a microscope, these appear as signet ring cells, meaning that mucin droplets are visible that displace the nucleus to one side.
Symptoms of linitis plastica do not usually present until the disease is in an advanced stage, making early diagnosis difficult. Symptoms are similar to those of stomach cancer including: difficulty swallowing, weight loss, indigestion, and vomiting.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
HistoryEdit
The condition was defined by William Brinton in 1859.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Notable casesEdit
Napoleon Bonaparte and many members of his family are thought to have died from this type of cancer, although it is believed by others that he may have died from arsenic poisoning.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
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- "Carcinoma of the Stomach." at patient.info
Template:Tumor morphology Template:Digestive system neoplasia