Clinicopathologic features of submucosal carcinoma of the stomach

A retrospective study of 155 patients with submucosal gastric carcinoma compared the clinicopathologic features with mucosal and muscularis proprial gastric carcinoma. Fifty-seven percent of the patients presented with gastrointestinal symptoms, whereas 36.1% had been detected by mass screening. The incidence of curative resection, lymph node metastasis, and complications were 96.1, 20.6, and 14.8%, respectively. Two patients died of sepsis and pulmonary infarction 30 days postoperatively. Five patients died of recurrent gastric cancer 1-5 years postresection. The overall 5-year survival rate was 90.2%. Recurrence patterns, histologic type, lymph node metastasis, lymphatic and venous infiltration, and growth pattern were similar to those of muscularis proprial carcinoma rather than mucosal carcinoma. Therefore, curative gastrectomy with extended lymphadenectomy (D-2) may be feasible for submucosal carcinoma of the stomach.