[Cancer of the stomach--new and "old" problems of diagnosis]

The author discusses present-day potentialities of radiodiagnosis of gastric carcinoma. Analysis of more than 2000 case histories brings him to a conclusion that the problem of the detection of this condition is particularly intricate for two reasons: the absence of active screening for gastric carcinoma in high-risk groups and inadequate attention to its endophytic forms. The author's data evidence that intramural growth of gastric carcinoma is responsible for up to 75% of all its anatomic forms. So high an incidence of endophytic carcinomas of the stomach necessitates a combination of the x-ray and endoscopic methods in gastro-oncology. Making use of the total scope of present-day diagnostic methods, including routine techniques, double-contrast examination, and, in recent years, x-ray computer-aided tomography and ultrasonic examinations, the author gives recommendations that will help solve quite a number of problems in radiodiagnosis of gastric carcinoma.