Objective To investigate the clinical, endoscopic and pathological characteristics of synchronous multiple early gastric cancer (SMEGC), and to reduce the rate of missed diagnosis. Methods Clinical data of 227 early gastric cancer patients treated by endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) and/or surgery in Songjiang Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine from January 2017 to December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. The differences of clinical, endoscopic and pathological characteristics between solitary early gastric cancer (SEGC) group (200 cases) and SMEGC group (27 cases) were compared. The relevance of endoscopic and pathological features of major and minor lesions of SMEGC was also analyzed. Results Among the 227 early gastric cancer patients, 27 (11.9%) were SMEGC (58 lesions), of which 25 cases were detected preoperatively, and 2 cases were reexamined within 6 months after surgery with another lesion found at a different site from the previous lesion. In the SMEGC group, the percentages of male and atrophy and intestinal metaplasia in surrounding mucosa were significantly higher than those of the SEGC group [85.2% (23/27) VS 61.5% (123/200), χ2=5.815, P=0.016; 96.3% (26/27) VS 81.0% (162/200), χ2=3.912, P=0.048]. The mean age of the SMEGC group was significantly higher than that of the SEGC group (68.7±6.7 years VS 63.8±9.8 years, t=-2.561, P=0.011). The correlation analysis showed a significant correlation between the major and minor lesions of SMEGC in the size of lesion (r=0.640, P<0.001), vertical location (r=0.518, P=0.006), macroscopic type (r=0.904, P<0.001) and depth of invasion (r=0.470, P=0.013). Conclusion SMEGC is prevalent in elderly males with atrophic gastritis and intestinal metaplasia. It is necessary to be alert to the possibility of multiple cancer lesions, if an early cancer lesion is found under endoscopy, especially those that may have the same or similar shape and invasion depth in the same vertical distribution range.