[Early gastric cancer: a retrospective study of our cases (1974-1979)]

A retrospective analysis of 3052 gastroscopies made by our Digestive Endoscopy Department from 1974 to 1979 was carried out. 14 Early Gastric Cancers out of a total of 157 gastric carcinomas were diagnosed (8.9%), with an EGC: Gastroscopies ratio = 1:218. From the macroscopic point of view 8 were found to belong to type III, 5 to type II, and 1 to type I. The main location was the lesser curvature (angulus-antrum). With regard to the degree of infiltration, 2 were found to belong to stage 0a, 8 to stage 0b, and 5 to stage I. The endoscopic observation gave reason to suspect the presence of a malignant lesion in 6 of the 14 cases. The bioptic examination proved positive in 10 cases, while in 4 the diagnosis was made on the operatory piece. The importance of multiple bioptic samples is again confirmed. Cytology performed by brushing showed malignant tumoral cells in 4 cases, and again in 4 cases the radiological examination led to suspicion of degenerated gastric ulcer. 13 patients were subjected to surgery during which no metastases to the locoregional lymphonodes were found; the patients are all alive. We started gastric carcinoma screening by selecting the patients on the basis of a worksheet covering epidemiological, clinical, biohumoural and instrumental parameters, since the prognosis for the disease is directly proportional to the earliness of its diagnosis.