The case for total gastrectomy in multiple polyposis of the stomach.

There is a considerable risk that a patient with multiple polyposis of the stomach will develop carcinoma of the stomach and this risk is greater than that of total gastrectomy when performed for benign conditions. Total gastrectomy is therefore sound treatment for this disease, regardless of the distribution of the lesions over the gastric mucosa, and a patient successfully treated in this way is reported. Reference is also made to a patient who died untreated and was found to have both multiple polyposis and gastric carcinoma.