L. Jonasson et al., GASTRIC-CARCINOMA - CORRELATION OF DIAGNOSIS BASED ON BIOPSIES AND RESECTION SPECIMENS WITH REFERENCE TO THE LAUREN CLASSIFICATION, APMIS. Acta pathologica, microbiologica et immunologica Scandinavica, 102(9), 1994, pp. 711-715
Gastric carcinomas in 382 patients were studied histologically and the
results from the preoperative endoscopic biopsies were compared with
those from the resected specimens. Using the Lauren classification an
overall histological diagnostic agreement between the two specimens wa
s reached in 317 cases, or 83%. The highest diagnostic agreement, 87%,
was for intestinal carcinomas. For diffuse carcinomas the diagnostic
agreement was 75%. The disagreement in intestinal carcinomas was mainl
y due to foci of undifferentiated cells and/or signer-ring cells predo
minating in the biopsy. The disagreement in diffuse carcinomas was mai
nly because glandular structures were present at the surface in some o
f the cases and therefore led to an erroneous diagnosis of intestinal
carcinoma. In conclusion, the intestinal type of gastric carcinoma can
in most cases be diagnosed correctly from an endoscopic biopsy, where
as the diagnosis of a diffuse carcinoma is less accurate until the res
ected specimen is available for histological study.