A Case of Endonasal Endoscopic Surgery for Intraorbital Metastasis of Gastric Ring Cell Carcinoma

Gastric signet ring cell carcinoma has well-known metastatic features, including peritoneal dissemination and carcinomatous lymphangitis of the lung, but no intraorbital metastases were reported previously. A woman in her 60s developed left eye pain, sudden vision loss, and headache 12 years after gastric cancer treatment. Symptoms did not improve despite steroid pulses. Craniotomy showed no malignant findings. The patient was referred to our department for symptomatic relief and biopsy due to the lack of a definitive diagnosis and no improvement in her ocular pain. Endonasal endoscopic surgery was performed for diagnostic purposes and to relieve symptoms through orbital decompression. Preoperative computed tomography examination revealed a tumor at the left medial orbit, extending to the orbital apex. Orbital decompression through the open left medial orbital wall was performed with biopsy of the intraorbital tumor. Pathological findings were consistent with metastatic signet ring cell carcinoma. Pain and subjective improvement of visual acuity were noted the day after surgery. Twelve months postoperatively, diplopia remains, but there has been no worsening of symptoms.

Keywords: endoscopic endonasal surgery; orbital decompression; orbital metastasis; palliative surgery; signet cell carcinoma.