[Macroscopic aspect and depth in early gastric cancer]

Depth of invasion in Early Gastric Cancer (E.G.C.) is very important to be evaluated. We reviewed 78 cases of E.G.C., in patients of our program that were operated on. We established the relationship among three macroscopic variables (localization, size and macroscopic shape) and depth of invasion. We realized that the lesions located in the fundus, though diagnosed less frequently, has more tendency to invade the submucosa (50%), in relation to other localizations. We did not find a significant statistic relation chi 2 = 3.76 P: .58 df:5 between size and invasion. The macroscopic types IIa + IIc and the E.G.C. type III have tendency to further invasion (58.8 and 66.67%). The polypoid lesions Type I and IIa are mostly intramucosal, so they could be treated endoscopically in high risk and old patients.