Analysis of age-related changes and clinical characteristics of synchronous gastric-rectal signet ring cell carcinoma: a case report and literature review

As age increases, the risk of gastrointestinal malignancies increases significantly, and the probability of the synchronous occurrence of rectal cancer and gastric cancer also increases. Among these, cases of dual primary signet ring cell carcinoma are exceptionally rare and demonstrate greater invasive potential. This article reports a case of synchronous rectal-gastric signet ring cell carcinoma in an elderly patient, which rapidly progressed to death within a short period due to age-related deterioration in tumor biological behavior, multisystem metastasis, and chemoresistance. Through multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment combined with molecular pathological analysis, this study has investigated the impact of age-related changes on the aggressiveness, therapeutic response, and prognosis of signet ring cell carcinoma, providing evidence-based support for early screening and personalized treatment in elderly patients.