Volume, staging and grading of gastro-intestinal carcinoma--a population-based study

All cases of the Regional Cancer Registry, North Baden who developed a gastro-intestinal cancer during the period 1975-1980 were re-examined according to the following parameters: tumor volume, pT stage, pN stage, grading. In the period considered, 8424 cases out of 14,061 cases with histologically proven gastrointestinal cancer could be grouped according to the pT stage. Most of the cases were operated at the pT2 or pT3 stage. Remarkable differences in the different tumor localizations were obtained. Stomach carcinoma had the highest percentage of the pT4 stage (36.2%), rectum carcinoma the lowest (7%). In all primaries a close coherence of tumor volume and pT stage was noted. Carcinoma at the pT1 stage measured 20 cm3 on average, those at the pT4 stage 170 cm3. No coherence of staging and age of the patients could be obtained. Younger patients showed a higher percentage of undifferentiated carcinoma than older patients. Survival data could not be obtained due to the data protection law.