Pre-operative TN staging of gastric cancer using a 15 MHz ultrasound miniprobe

The aim of the study was to evaluate the usefulness of and problems associated with a new endoscopically guided ultrasound miniprobe, used for pre-operative staging of gastric cancers. 59 cases of gastric cancer were prospectively examined with a 15 MHz ultrasound miniprobe. The results of the ultrasound imaging were compared with the histological findings of the resected specimens. The accuracy of the miniprobe for depth of invasion (T category) was 61% for all tumours, and 72% and 40%, respectively, for T1 and T2 to T4 lesions. If indeterminate cases due to ultrasound attenuation were excluded, the accuracy was improved to 82% for T1 and 57% for T2 to T4 tumours, respectively. The accuracy of the miniprobe for nodal staging (N category) was 69% overall, and 86%, 25% and 14% for stages N0, N1 and N2, respectively. In tumours classified on the basis of endoscopic types, the miniprobe staged early type gastric cancers (T category = 73%, N category = 80%) significantly (p < 0.01) more accurately than advanced ones (T category = 21%, N category = 36%). This study suggests that the miniprobe is indicated for pre-operative TN staging when endoscopy reveals an early gastric cancer.