CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL STUDY OF FLAT AND DEPRESSED SMALL GASTRIC CANCERS

Abstract

Endoscopic findings and histological characteristics of 44 minute (<5mm) and 125 small gastric cancers (<10mm) were investigated in our hospital from 1981 to 1990. The results were as follows.(1) Poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma or signet ring cell carcinoma tended to have peptic ulceration in comparison with differentiated adenocarcinoma.(2) The rate of invasion to the submucosal layer in poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma or signet ring cell carcinoma was higher than that in differentiated adenocarcinoma. Poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma had more tendency of deep invasion than the other types.(3) Cancer cells in differentiated and poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma were distributed through the mucosa, but in signet ring cell carcinoma were located in the middle of the mucosa.(4) Endoscpically, irregular redness was characteristic in differentiated and poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, while the presence of redness in discolored lesions was characteristic in signet ring cell carcinoma.(5) In analyzing small gastric cancer, poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma and signet ring cell carcinoma had completely different endoscopical and histological features.