Natural History of Early Gastric Cancer: a Case Report and Literature Review.
Early detection and treatment decrease the mortality rate associated with gastric cancer (GC). However, the natural history of GC remains unclear. An 85-year-old woman was referred to our hospital for evaluation of a gastric tumor. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy identified a 6 mm, flat-elevated lesion at the lesser curvature of the antrum. A biopsy specimen showed a well-differentiated tubular adenocarcinoma. The depth of the lesion was estimated to be intramucosal. Although the lesion met the indications for endoscopic resection, periodic endoscopic follow-up was performed due to the patient's advanced age and comorbidities. The mucosal GC invaded into the submucosa 3 years later, and finally progressed to advanced cancer 5 years after the initial examination. The patient died of tumor hemorrhage 6.4 years after the initial examination. In this case, mucosal GC progressed to advanced GC, eventually leading to the patient's death from GC. Early and appropriate treatment is required to prevent GC-related death.
Division of Endoscopy, Shizuoka Cancer Center, Shizuoka, Japan .
Tomohiro
T
Iwai
Division of Endoscopy, Shizuoka Cancer Center, Shizuoka, Japan .
Masao
M
Yoshida
Division of Endoscopy, Shizuoka Cancer Center, Shizuoka, Japan .
Hiroyuki
H
Ono
Division of Endoscopy, Shizuoka Cancer Center, Shizuoka, Japan .
Naomi
N
Kakushima
Division of Endoscopy, Shizuoka Cancer Center, Shizuoka, Japan .
Kohei
K
Takizawa
Division of Endoscopy, Shizuoka Cancer Center, Shizuoka, Japan .
Masaki
M
Tanaka
Division of Endoscopy, Shizuoka Cancer Center, Shizuoka, Japan .
Noboru
N
Kawata
Division of Endoscopy, Shizuoka Cancer Center, Shizuoka, Japan .
Sayo
S
Ito
Division of Endoscopy, Shizuoka Cancer Center, Shizuoka, Japan .
Kenichiro
K
Imai
Division of Endoscopy, Shizuoka Cancer Center, Shizuoka, Japan .
Kinichi
K
Hotta
Division of Endoscopy, Shizuoka Cancer Center, Shizuoka, Japan .
Hirotoshi
H
Ishiwatari
Division of Endoscopy, Shizuoka Cancer Center, Shizuoka, Japan .
Hiroyuki
H
Matsubayashi
Early gastric cancer; Natural history