Endoscopic mucosal resection for early gastric cancer

Endoscopic Mucosal Resection(EMR) for early gastric cancer has now been introduced into clinical medical practice. In order to elcidate the real features of so-called early gastric cancer, we analyzed 489 stomachs underwent gastrectomy resected in our department. Basing upon findings by this analysis,we defined the criteria for EMR as the following: 1; mucosal cancer: 2; non-ulcerated lesion: 3; protruded( I) or flat elevated type( II a): 4; less not more than 2cm in size: & 5; well-differentiated adenocarcinoma. In conformity with this criteria, 9 patients treated with EMR, G of them(66.6%) had cancer free surgical margin. But, 2 of them(22.2%) had cancer tissue on surgical margin on in the mucosa the other in tile submucosa. Another one had to be removed by piece meal resection, consequently, the nature of lateral surgical margins were not informative. Except the one, which had submucosal remmnant and inevitably removed by gastrectomy, ail 8 residual cases were free from recurrence during the observational period ranging from 201 days upto 1797 days.