Early gastric cancer: Clinicopathological features

Abstract

This study documents the clinicopathological aspects of early gastric cancer in 4 Turkish patients. The clinical, endoscopic and histopathological features of these patients were analysed. Two patients were male and 2 were female with an age range of 44-55. The duration of epigastric pain ranged from 1 to 10 years and 3 had (75%) acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding. All early gastric cancers appeared as gastric ulcers on the lesser curve axis. Two were located in the corpus and 2 in the antrum. The diameter of ulcers were ranging between 1 and 4 cm. Two were type lie and the remaining were type III. Depth of involvement was mucosal in 1 and submucosal in 3 patients. The histological type of early gastric cancer was diffuse in 3 patients and intestinal in 1 patient. All patients had chronic atrophic gastritis and intestinal metaplasia at the surrounding mucosa. Helicobacter pylori was positive in 2 patients. Metastases to the regional lymph nodes were present in 2 patients. No associated malignancy was recorded. Total gastrectomy was performed in 3 patients and subtotal gastrectomy in 1 patient. Two patients with lymph node metastases received adjuvant chemotherapy. The follow up period ranged between 10 and 13 months and no death, recurrence or metastases were observed during this period. [Turk J Cancer 1997;27(1):37-42]