Endoscopic therapy of premalignant and malignant changes in the stomach.

Among a total of 34 patients with epithelial gastric polyps, premalignant or malignant polyps were discovered in ten cases, and removed with the aid of the polypectomy snare. Of six borderline lesions, some of which have been followed up for more than two years, none has developed into a carcinoma. One patient who presented with a malignant hyperplasiogenous polyp - an extremely rare finding - has so far remained free from cancer. In a further case with early carcinoma, Type I, two borderline lesions subsequently developed at different parts of the stomach, finally being followed by a second early carcinoma, Type IIc. One of the adenomas removed revealed a neoplastic transformation, so that immediate surgery was necessary. All in all, the results show that, under certain condition, endoscopic polypectomy can represent a valuable therapeutic procedure in premalignant and malignant changes in the stomach.