Early gastric cancer

Abstract

Eighteen cases of 'early gastric cancer' have been managed over a 14-year period. This represents only 3.5% of all patients diagnosed as having adenocarcinoma of the stomach. The symptoms of early gastric cancer are similar to those of benign peptic ulcer disease and differ from those of invasive disease. The pathology of the lesions is described and the morphology shown to be similar to that seen in Japan. The overall 5-year survival rate is 82% but no patient has developed recurrence within 5 years of surgery, confirming the biological behaviour of the lesion to be identical to that noted by Japanese researchers.