PROGNOSTIC VALUE OF DEPTH AND PATTERN OF STOMACH WALL INVASION IN PATIENTS WITH AN ADVANCED GASTRIC-CARCINOMA

We reviewed data on 467 patients with advanced gastric carcinoma, taki ng into consideration tumor size, shape and depth of invasion, and gro wth pattern, either expanding or infiltrative. Three patterns of penet ration were identified: i.e., funnel, column, and mountain patterns. T he funnel pattern was predominant in tumors extending into the muscula ris propria (pm) or subserosa (ss), and were more widely distributed t han the column pattern. The majority of the column type tumors were le ss than 8 cm in pm or ss, and the mountain type was found in only one case in ss, but their size was widely distributed once cancer cells pe netrated the serosa. Patients with the funnel type had a better progno sis than the column or the mountain type, and the difference was signi ficant when cancer invasion extended to the serosa. (C) 1994 Wiley-Lis s, Inc.