Prognostic significance of Lauren and Ming classifications and other pathologic parameters in gastric carcinoma.

One hundred seventy-two patients with gastric carcinoma were studied (111 men and 61 women). Mean age was 54.0 +/- 11.2 years, and the overall five-year survival rate was 37.5%. There were four carcinomas in situ and one double carcinoma; the remaining 167 were classified as intestinal (112), diffuse (48), and atypical (7), according to Lauren; and as expanding (96) and infiltrative (71), according to Ming. Both classifications had prognostic significance; that of Lauren's could not be ascribed to sex and age of patients, to location of tumors, or to extent of disease, but appeared to be associated with the histologic pattern of regional lymph nodes. The prognostic significance of Ming's classification did not seem to depend upon sex and age of patients, location of tumors, or lymphoid response, but appeared to be partially related with extent of disease. The concurrent use of both classification did not provide further prognostic information.