Early gastric carcinoma: value of combined use of endoscopy, air contrast x-ray films, cytology, and multiple biopsy specimens.

Five cases of early gastric carcinoma were diagnosed during a one-year period at the Henderson General Hospital, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. All five patients were symptomatic and were diagnosed by a combination of endoscopy, roentgenology, brush cytology, and biopsy specimens. No cases of early gastric carcinoma were diagnosed in our hospital in the preceding ten years. A total of 75% of the cytological preparations were positive and all five biopsy specimens showed carcinoma. The ulcerated or type III lesion was present in three cases. No lymph node metastases were present in the gastrectomy specimens. The increasing rate of detection of early gastric carcinoma is attributed to the use of upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, air-contrast barium meal examinations, cytology, and multiple biopsy specimens.