Ulcer simulating gastric carcinoma. II. Histopathology and survival.

Forty eight benign-ulcer-simulating gastric carcinomas treated at the Second Departmxamined histologically. Twenty two cases (46%) were classified as adenocarcinomas, 15 (31%) were mucocellular and 11 (23%) were anaplastic poorly differentiated forms. Invasion was limited in the histological specimens to the mucosa or submucosa in 20 cases (43%) which also fulfilled the criterias for early gastric carcinoma. The five year survival rate, by the actuarial method, was 63%, which is good if compared with that of all gastric carcinomas. The good prognosis can mainly be explained by the high percentage of early carcinoma for which the 5 year survival rate was 77%.