COMPARATIVE-STUDIES OF CARDIA CARCINOMA AND INFRACARDIAL GASTRIC-CARCINOMA

In a part retrospective, part prospective study, 354 carcinomas of the cardia were compared with 1259 infracardial gastric carcinomas with r egard to the age and sex of the patients, macroscopic classification, microscopic classifications, depth of invasion, and survival rates. Mo rtality rates are generally higher in cardia carcinoma than in stomach carcinoma. The difference is due to the significantly poorer survival of cardia carcinoma patients in stage I, while mortality rates in sta ges II, III, and IV of both types are approximately similar. Highly si gnificant differences were also found with regard to sex ratio, incide nce of macro- and microscopic subtypes, and invasive growth. The typic al cardia carcinoma occurs preferentially in men, is mostly well-delin eated, and is manifested as an ulcerated or polypoid, well-differentia ted tumor of expansive growth, corresponding to Lauren's intestinal ty pe. These results confirm the concepts of McPeak and Warren, MacDonald , and Siewert et al., that the carcinoma located in the cardia must be seen as a separate entity of gastric carcinoma.