Clinicopathological study of gastric cancers and precancerous states detected by fetal sulfoglycoprotein antigen screening.

A clinicopathological analysis is presented of gastric cancer cases detected in a mass screening trial in Finland, using the oncofetal antigen, fetal sulfoglycoprotein antigen, as a marker. The survey covered a population of 53,020 between the ages of 40 and 70, the percentage of participation being 74.8%. Of these participants, 3,508 subjects (8.8%) were found to be fetal sulfoglycoprotein antigen secretors, and among them 36 gastric cancers, one gastric carcinoid, and 10 tubular adenomas were detected. Both main histological types of gastric cancer, intestinal and diffuse, were represented. There were 15 early cancers. In addition, there were three widely spread superficial cancers. Because of early diagnosis, the prognostic view for these cases is clearly better than that found in the clinic by conventional means, curative resection being carried out in 28 cases (78%).