[Early stomach cancer: its morphology, histo- and morphogenesis]

Macroscopic, histologic and ultrastructural features of an early stomach carcinoma are presented on the basis of literature and the authors' data. Ultrastructural and immunohistochemical data confirm the concept of a common histogenesis of different histologic types of stomach carcinoma, i.e. from reserve cells. Carcinoma, most likely, develops from reserve cells of the foveolate epithelium and metaplastic epithelium of intestinal type (foci of incomplete intestinal metaplasia with sulfomucine secretion). The data are accumulating on the precancerous nature of severe epithelial dysplasia. The development of an early carcinoma from preexisting dysplasia was observed in patients after long follow-up with repeated gastric biopsies.