Point, minute and small cancers of the stomach at the early developmental stage detected by improved chymotrypsin lavage method for diagnostic cytology.

The improved selective chymotrypsin lavage method under fluoroscopy for cytologic detection led to the discovery of 12 point or minute gastric cancer lesions of less than one cm maximum diameter among 420 patients. It is reported herein how tiny cancers of the stomach can be found by the method, and how valuable it is to employ morphologic criteria for correct identification of the individual atypical cells in these tiny gastric cancers.