Journal of Korean Medical Science  2006;21(3):559-562

doi:10.3346/jkms.2006.21.3.559

Gastric Syphilis Mimicking Adenocarcinoma: A Case Report.

Yoon La CHOI 1 ; Jae Joon HAN ; Da Keun LEE ; Min Ho CHO ; Ghee Young KWON ; Young Hyeh KO ; Cheol Keun PARK ; Geunghwan AHN

Affiliations

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Keywords

Stomach; Syphilis; Gastritis; Treponema Pallium

Country

Republic of Korea

Language

English

Abstract

Syphilis is an unexpected diagnosis in the stomach, and the reduced incidence of syphilis has made its clinical presentation less widely appreciated. We report a 43-yr-old man suffering from epigastric tenderness with an initial diagnosis of gastric carcinoma; gastric syphilis was confirmed by demonstrating spirochetes in a gastric biopsy specimen by silver impregnation. Excessive lymphoplasmacytic infiltration with diffuse thickening of gastric rugae should raise suspicion of gastric syphilis, which should be considered in the differential diagnosis of diffuse erosive gastritis and infiltrative lesions of the stomach.