[Obligatory and facultative measures in diagnosis and staging of stomach carcinoma]

Abstract

A differential therapeutic regimen in gastric cancer requires exact staging. Criteria for accurate staging include exact localization of the tumor, the tumor depth, as well as the definition of local spread (lymph node metastases) and distant metastases (liver metastases, peritoneal carcinosis). Endoscopy, endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), laparoscopy and laparoscopic ultrasound provide the most precise information concerning T-, N- and M-categories in preoperative staging.