Minute gastric cancers found by gastric mass surveys.

Minute gastric cancer is defined in Japan as a cancer lesion measuring not more than 1 cm in maximum diameter in a freshly resected gastric specimen. The macroscopic findings, histopathological findings and courses to discovery have been presented in 14 cases of minute gastric cancer discovered in gastric mass surveys. The cases of minute gastric cancer consisted of mostly elevated or depressed lesions and multiple cancers; they were histopathologically classified as well differentiated tubular adenocarcinoma, and by depth invasion as mucosal carcinoma. Because of the particularly limited physical dimensions of such early tumors, discovery and diagnosis are of course extremely difficult, and are heavily dependent upon endoscopic examinations and the accompanying investigation of biopsy materials.