INDICATHON AND LIMITATION OF ENDO SCOPIC THERAPY OF EARLY GASTRIC CAN CER

Abstract

With the object to establish the indication of the endoscopic therapy for early gastric cancer, some questionaires were performed about the cases of early gastric cancer treated by surgery and by endoscopic therapy at the cancer centers. We obtained the following conclusions based either on the results of the questionaires or on our study about the operated cases and our 10 year period experience. Namely, since type ha and IIc (Ul-) early gastric cancers of less than 1 cm in diameter or polyp cancers are not associated with lymph node metastasis and easy to be treated locally, we consider that endoscopic treat ment is absolutely indicated for these cases. For cases of cancers of more than 1 cm in diameter, incidence of lymph node metastsis becomes higher. If there are some factors which are unfavourable for performing operations such as presence of other disease or high age, the indication should be extended gradually according to such factors. In unoperative cases, endoscopic therapy should be considered even in cases of progressive cancer.