Early Gastric Carcinoma

Higher magnification of the previous image. The tumor has a well-defined lower border and it is confined to the submucosa. The term "early" in early gastric carcinoma refers to the depth of penetration and not to the duration of the lesion. Hence it is not entirely accurate. In countries like Japan, Chile, Costa Rica, and some Eastern European countries, the incidence of gastric cancer is high. In Japan, almost 35% of newly detected cases are early gastric cancers due to the mass endoscopy screening programs.