[Diagnosis of gastric cancer]

Gastric cancer is still a major cause of death in Europe. Radiologic examination continues to be the diagnostic method of choice, but its accuracy is no more than 50% at the first examination and 75% after repeated procedures. Fiberscopy with biopsy and/or cytology may provide a definitive preoperative diagnosis in as many as 90% of instances, including early cancer cases. With the widespread use of endoscopy it is possible to predict the discovery of one early cancer every 300-400 endoscopies in patients with gastric symptoms. In 5 years, 1,195 early gastric cancers have been found in Europe. These data afford grounds for greater optimism in gastric cancer management.