Lanthanum phosphate deposition in the gastric mucosa of patients with chronic renal failure.

A 77-year-old Japanese man underwent endoscopic submucosal dissection twice over a 5-year period for the treatment of two separate early gastric cancers. He had been taking lanthanum carbonate, an orally administered phosphate binder, for 3 years. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed reddish mucosa in the greater curvature and anterior wall of the gastric angle, while granular, white deposits were also observed in some areas of this reddish mucosa. Additionally, biopsy specimens from the gastric mucosa revealed the deposition of fine, amorphous, eosinophilic material, which appeared bright on scanning electron microscopy. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy revealed the presence of lanthanum and phosphate in these bright areas, and elemental mapping confirmed that their distribution was identical to that seen in the bright areas. Based on these findings, the diagnosis of lanthanum phosphate deposition in the gastric mucosa was determined.