Gastric Carcinoma with Exocrine and Neuroendocrine Components: A 16-Year Cohort Analysis and International Comparison

Background

Gastric carcinoma with coexisting exocrine and neuroendocrine components (GC-EN) is rare and clinically aggressive, but its temporal pattern and prognostic impact remain poorly characterized. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 1043 patients who underwent curative gastrectomy at our center between 2008 and 2024. Following tumor-node-metastasis staging and 1:2 pTNM stage matching, 882 patients were included; 294 had GC-EN, of which 175 had GNEC, and 588 had GC. Clinicopathological characteristics were compared, survival outcomes were assessed using Kaplan-Meier estimates and multivariate Cox regression, and the proportion of GNEC cases in our center and the U.S. surveillance, epidemiology, and end results (SEER) database were evaluated. Survival patterns of GNEC were further compared with published international cohorts using Engauge Digitizer software.