[Recurrence of early gastric cancer]

To evaluate the features of recurrence of early gastric cancer.

109 cases of early gastric cancer were subjected to surgical resection from 1972 to 1988. Apart from two died, all cases were followed up for more than 5 years.

Eight cases (7.5%) died of other diseases. Ten cases (10.3%) died because of the recurrence of gastric cancer. Five cases (45.5%) had hematogenic metastasis to the liver or lung. Two cases had the recurrence of the cancer in lymph node. The recurrence in the residual stomach was found in 3 cases, in addition to a patient who was detected to have metastasis in Virchow's lymph node survival for 12 years after operation. The recurrence rate was higher in submucosal tumors (12.8%) than in mucosal tumors (8.0%), in lymphatic and vascular vessel invasion-positive cases (43%) than in negative cases (7.8%), in synchronous multiple gastric cancer (33.3%) than in solitary tumors (7.2%), in tumors of 1.5 cm or more in diameter (11.5%) than in tumors of less than 1.5 cm. The rate of hematogenic metastasis to the liver or lung was 45.5% (5/11), and the recurrence in the residual stomach was 27.3% (3/11) and in lymph node was 27.3% (3/11).

Hematogenic metastasis is frequent.