Early gastric cancer in Singapore

A study was carried out on 41 cases of early gastric cancer over a five year period (1983-1987) based on resected stomach specimens. Males (29) outnumbered females (12) by 2.4:1. Mean age was 63 years (Range 30-80 years), and there was an overwhelming Chinese preponderance (40, 97.6%). The indications for endoscopy were: dyspepsia (24, 58.5%), gastro-intestinal bleeding (14, 34.1%) and follow up of megaloblastic anaemia (3, 7.4%). The diagnosis of malignancy was unsuspected at endoscopy in 38 patients and the commonest finding was a chronic ulcer (35, 85.4%). Most of the lesions were located in the body (24, 58.5%) and along the lesser curvature (36, 87.8%). Depressed lesions (Type III and combined IIc + III) were the commonest macroscopic lesions. Intestinal type carcinoma was the commonest microscopic type (34, 82.9%). Submucosal infiltration was present in 19 (47.3%) and lymph node metastases in 4 (9.8%). There was only one death from carcinoma of the stomach (mortality 2.4%).