Beneath the Surface: Diagnosing Gastric Linitis Plastica

Gastric Linitis plastica is characterized by extensive infiltration of gastric wall by poorly differentiated tumor cells, creating a "leather-bottle stomach" appearance. We describe a case involving a 71-year-old male presenting with globus sensation, early satiety and weight loss. Recent EGD had revealed chronic gastritis with polypoid mucosa at the GE junction, and subsequent FDG-PET indicated asymmetric FDG localization. On admission, repeat EGD with deep biopsies confirmed invasive poorly differentiated gastric adenocarcinoma with signet ring features. Despite palliative radiation, the patient died within a month, highlighting the disease's aggressiveness and importance of advanced diagnostic techniques in suspected cases of Linitis plastica.