Early gastric cancer: a morphological study of 144 cases

Within 144 early gastric cancers (EGC), the ulcerated type was most frequent (54.2%), followed by the superfical (29.9%) and protruded types (16%). 10.4% of EGC originated from adenomatous polyps of gastric mucosa. No positive correlation between hyperplastic polyps and occurrence of EGC could be stated. Antrum and corpus regions were preferred localization of EGC, harboring about 90% of the tumors. Histologic classification according to Laurén (1965) proved to be very reliable, revealing an intestinal type of EGC in 53.1% and a diffuse type in 32.4%. Primary anaplastic tumors seem to be very rare. Intestinal types were predominant in males, especially in the elderly patient. In about 50% the tumor was still limited to the mucosa with the exception of Type I, since those tumors originating from polyp infiltrated submucosa above and those without evidence of a preceding polyp, below average. Regional metastases were found in 4.2% with one primary tumor still limited to the mucosa. In the pure intestinal type of EGC metastases did not occur at all. Multicentricity of EGC was, with 2.8%, remarkably low, compared with the findings of others. Excluding malignancies, the only other noteworthy concurrent lesions were ulcer scars or chronic ulcers with 6.9% and B II resection for benign disease with 2.8%.