A STUDY OF EARLY GASTRIC CANCER IN THE VICINITY OF THE PYLOROUS RING OR INVADING THE DUODENUM

It is relatively easy to detect early gastric cancer in the vicinity of the pylorous ring or invading the duodenum by a use of endoscopy, but the satisfactory precise precise diagnosis of the depth and extent of tumor invasion has not been established as yet. This study was designed to elucidate some problems in the diagnosing ability of gastric endoscopy and EUS for such early gastric cancers. Subjects were 26 patients undergone gastrectomy for early gastric caner in a recent 5-year period, consisting of 21 patients whose center of the lesion situated within 2cm from the pylorous ring and five patients whose tumors invaded the duodenum. The correct diagnosing rate of depth of tumor invasion by gastric endoscopy was 69.2•(18/26) in all patients. On the other hand, it was 57.1•(12/21) in 21 patients who underwent EUS. There was a tendency for EUS to give a read-out of the depth which was deeper than actual depth. Furthermore, early gastric cancer invading the duodenum present difficulty in determining the extent by gastric endoscopy especially on the duodenal side of the lesion. It is probably better that doctors use high frequency EUS equipments.