The early diagnosis of carcinoma of the stomach.

The insidious nature of carcinoma of the stomach has induced a pessimistic attitude in the medical profession, for by the time the unmistakable signs of malignant disease become evident, the patient is doomed. Improvement in results of the surgical treatment of gastric carcinoma will come only with early diagnosis, which is in turn dependent upon appreciation of the gravity of recognizable epigastric distress and the application of the available diagnostic procedures to aid in the diagnosis of malignant lesions in the early, preinvasive stages. Recognition of the significant risk of malignant change in gastric ulcers is essential, for a high degree of suspicion in the presence of the symptoms of ulcer can lead to diagnosis of malignant lesions at a stage when resection can cure.