Abstract
[Objective] This study aimed to investigate the features of differentiated-type early gastric cancer with cyan colored vessels (CCV) visualized by magnifying narrow-band imaging. [Subjects and methods] Endoscopic findings were compared with findings of resected specimens of 41 differentiated-type early gastric cancer lesions treated by endoscopic submucosal dissection between 2004 and 2013. They were examined for the presence or absence of CCV, visibility of white zones (WZs), mucosal thickness of the lesions, the depth of crypts, and the size of inter-crypt areas. In lesions with CCV, the association between histological type and microvascular patterns was evaluated. [Results] CCV were visualized in 9 lesions (21.4%), but WZ was not observed in any lesion. Mucosal thickness was significantly reduced, and crypts were shallow. In the lesions with CCV, even those of differentiated cancer, no WZ was visualized. Four (57.1%) of the 7 lesions that were well-differentiated tubular adenocarcinomas with CCV showed an irregular mesh pattern. [Conclusion] In lesions with CCV, because the mucosa is thin and crypts are shallow, WZs are not visible, thereby enhancing the irregularity of microvascular patterns. Thus, caution is required when making a histological diagnosis.
