[Detection of resection line in early gastric cancer]

In patients with multiple gastric cancer and superficial spreading type gastric carcinoma (abbreviated as S.S.C.) accompanied by IIb, the remnant stomach is sometimes cancer positive. Our study population consisted of 44 patients with multiple early gastric cancer and 63 patients with depressed type S.S.C. The gastric mucosa was classified into 3 types according to the surrounding mucosal atrophy, 1) pyloric gland zone, 2) intermediate zone, 3) fundic gland zone. All lesions of multiple early gastric cancer and S.S.C. were located in the pyloric gland zone or the intermediate zone. The depressed type S.S.C. did not invade the fundic gland zone. Therefore, knowledge about the extend++ of surrounding mucosal atrophy is required for the proper diagnosis of early gastric cancer and the surgeon must recognize the relationship between the glandular border line and resection line.