Study on the Gastric Cancer Initially Diagnosed as Benign Gastric Ulcer during Endoscopic Follow-up

Yoon, Chong Mann; Choi, Sung Kyu; Kim, Sei Jong; Rew, Jong Sun; Rheu, Do Hyun; Koo, Cheol; Kim, Ki Tae; Moon, Bum

Abstract

To examine the relationship between gastric ulcer and gastric cancer, we investigated petients with gastric ulcer diagnosed from 1986 to l993. We reviewed the endoscopic reports and films of patients with gastric ulcer retrospectively. We excluded the patients who was diagnosed as gastric cancer in two years follow-up. The results were as follaws; 1) During follow-up of the original cohort, there were 5 patients(0.5~%) in whom gastric cancer developed at the same site initially diagnosed as gastric ulcer. The gross type of the lesion was early gastric cancer in two and advanced gastric cancer in three patients 2) The time interval between the initial diagnosis of gastric ulcer and cancer development was from 31 months to 70 months (average 51 months). 3) At the initial examination of 5 gastric cancer patients, the diagnosis was active gastric ulcer in four, multiple gastric ulcer in one, and linear gastrie ulcer in one patient. Characteristic endoscopic findjngs were gastric ulcer with clubbing mucosal folds in three and gastric ulcer with bleeding in one patient. 4) During the follow-up period, endoscopicailly and histologically healing of gastric uleer was observed in one patient and histologic finding showed chronic superficial gastritits with intestinal metaplasia. These results suggest that gastric ulcers rarely progress to gastric cancer. However if the endoscopic findings are suspicious for malignancy, then follow-up endoscopy until complete healing should be done.