Clinicopathological features of mucosal carcinoma of the stomach with lymph node metastasis in eleven patients.

Of 568 patients with mucosal carcinoma of the stomach, only 11 (1.9 per cent) had a lymph node metastasis. The clinicopathological findings in these 11 patients are reviewed. Diameters of the lesions were over 2.0 cm. Seven were located in the body of the stomach and four in the antrum. Nine showed depressed lesions comprised of poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma and two were classed as elevated lesions consisting of well and moderately differentiated adenocarcinomas. There were six with accompanying peptic ulcers, all of which revealed depressed lesions with poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. Metastases to proximal perigastric lymph nodes were found in eight while there were three with involvement of distant lymph nodes. All patients were surgically treated and all are doing well except for one who died of hepatic failure one month after operation. We recommend that the standard operation with lymph node dissection is essential, even in cases of mucosal carcinoma.