Gastric carcinoma: correlation of diagnosis based on biopsies and resection specimens with reference to the Laurén...

Gastric carcinomas in 382 patients were studied histologically and the results from the preoperative endoscopic biopsies were compared with those from the resected specimens. Using the Laurén classification an overall histological diagnostic agreement between the two specimens was reached in 317 cases, or 83%. The highest diagnostic agreement, 87%, was for intestinal carcinomas. For diffuse carcinomas the diagnostic agreement was 75%. The disagreement in intestinal carcinomas was mainly due to foci of undifferentiated cells and/or signet-ring cells predominating in the biopsy. The disagreement in diffuse carcinomas was mainly because glandular structures were present at the surface in some of the cases and therefore led to an erroneous diagnosis of intestinal carcinoma. In conclusion, the intestinal type of gastric carcinoma can in most cases be diagnosed correctly from an endoscopic biopsy, whereas the diagnosis of a diffuse carcinoma is less accurate until the resected specimen is available for histological study.