[Possibility of performing a modified operation on the depressed type early gastric carcinoma]

To study of the possibility of performing a modified operation in cases of a depressed early gastric carcinoma, we have investigated the possibility of stage I early gastric carcinoma detection. Examined were 196 cases of depressed early gastric carcinomas out of a total of 394 cases of a depressed gastric carcinoma. Further, the relationship between lymph node metastasis and the clinicopathological indicators was the following: 1) the macroscopical type grade was simple IIc; 2) the size of tumor was less than 50 mm; 3) the ulceration in the cancerous lesion was under (a) shallow Ul-II; and 4) the depressed floor showed a granular pattern. According to these indicators, we feel that it is possible to detect stage I early depressed carcinoma prior to operation.