[Metachronous hematogenous metastasis of gastric cancer--histopathologic characteristics of gastric cancer developing of the liver, lung or bone metastasis].

Fifty-seven gastric cancer patients developing metachronous hematogenous metastasis were histopathologically analyzed. In 37 patients who developed metachronous liver metastasis as the main pattern of recurrence, papillary adenocarcinoma was the most frequent histologic type, followed by poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma of the medullary type. In 20 patients with metachronous lung or bone metastasis, poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma of the scirrhous type was the common histologic pattern. From the present data, we assume that liver metastasis of gastric cancer occurs when cancer cell clusters are transported to the liver, where they attach and proliferate, whereas single cells passed through the portal system tend to establish secondary deposits in the lung or bone.