title: Pre and intra-operative methods of staging gastric cancer.
abstract: The aim of this paper was to examine the indications and limits of pre- and intra-operative instrumental diagnosis of gastric cancer. In order to achieve this effectively, the authors emphasized the importance of proper staging methods and obtained a detailed description of tumor diffusion. The most important diagnostic instruments considered were magnetic resonance, endosonography, intra-operative echography, pre- and intra-operative immunoscintography and a cytological examination of peritoneal lavage fluid. The authors concluded that pre- and intra-operative staging of gastric cancer is important for two major reasons: it results in the most accurate definition possible of disease evolution, enabling a proper therapeutic program; and it involves a combination of three complementary metasurgical treatments.
authors.affiliation: Cattedra di Chirurgia Generale, Scuola di Specializzazione in Chirurgia Generale IIo Università degli Studi di Messina.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Melita
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Palmeri
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lazzara
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lorenzini
authors.forename: F P
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Pergolizzi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Foti
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Melita
mesh_terms: D003581:Cytodiagnosis; D005773:Gastroscopy; D006801:Humans; D007432:Intraoperative Period; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013270:Stomach / Q000473:pathology; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014463:Ultrasonography