A CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL STUDY OF ASYMPTOMATIC GASTRIC-CANCER

The clinicopathological profiles of 419 patients with asymptomatic gas tric cancer (AGC) first detected by gastric screening, were reviewed a nd compared with those of the 1727 patients with symptomatic gastric c ancer (SGC). The incidence of AGC increased gradually and has amounted to 30% of the total resected cases in recent years. About 75% of AGC cases were of early cancer and 84% were negative for lymph node metast ases. In contrast, only 33% of SGC cases were of early cancer and 57% were node positive. Curative resection was done in 97% of AGC and 75% of SGC. The cumulative 5 and 10 year survival rates of patients with c uratively resected AGC were 85.2% and 72.2%, respectively, while those for patients with SGC were 66.8% and 55.4%. These data demonstrated t hat most patients with asymptomatic gastric cancers could expect a cur ative resection, i.e. have a better clinical outcome, than those with symptomatic cancer.