[Echo endoscopy in the local staging of gastric cancer].
OBJECTIVE
to evaluate the accuracy of endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) in the pre-operative T and N staging of gastric cancer.


METHODS
41 consecutive patients with gastric cancer (35 carcinomas and 6 lymphomas) underwent EUS using an Olympus GF-UM20, with 360 degrees sector scan and interchangeable frequency (7.5-12 MHz). They were classified as T1-T4 and N0-N2, according to the TNM system. These results were then compared with the surgical and pathological staging (SP), by the weighted K statistic (Kw).


RESULTS
In 2 patients EUS staging was not possible due to cardiac stenosis and in other 4 patients, information about SP staging was not available. In the remaining 35 patients the EUS/SP agreement was good (Kw = 0.80) for stage T and moderate (Kw = 0.49) for stage N. Non-agreement was mostly due to EUS understaging, both T and N.


CONCLUSIONS
1) EUS is the most accurate procedure for pre-operative local staging of gastric cancer, and 2) EUS should preferably be performed by endoscopists with sonographic experience and a particular interest in the method.
Ribeiro
L C
LC
Unidade de Técnicas de Gastrenterologia, Hospital de Santa Maria, Lisboa.
Tavares
L
L
Marques
A
A
Antunes
T
T
Fatela
N
N
Velosa
J
J
de Moura
M C
MC
D002277:Carcinoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D020699:Gastroscopes; D005773:Gastroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013270:Stomach / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D014463:Ultrasonography
A eco-endoscopia no estadiamento local do cancro gástrico.