Early gastric cancer: Clinical features, diagnosis, and staging - UpToDate
Early gastric cancer (EGC) is defined as adenocarcinoma that infiltrates the mucosa or submucosa of the stomach with or without lymph node metastases (T1, any N) (table 1). Surgically or endoscopically curable EGCs are usually asymptomatic and detected infrequently outside of gastric cancer screening programs. (See "Gastric cancer screening".) Gastric cancer is classified into two histologic types: intestinal and diffuse. Intestinal-type gastric cancer is the most common type, which develops through a sequence of histopathologic phases, beginning with normal mucosa and progressing to chronic gastritis, atrophic gastritis, intestinal metaplasia, dysplasia, and cancer [1]. The diagnosis and management of gastric intestinal metaplasia (a precancerous lesion in the gastric cancer cascade) is discussed separately. (See "Gastric intestinal metaplasia".) Helicobacter pylori infection, a primary risk factor for gastric cancer, may lead to diffuse gastric mucosal inflammation and chronic gastri
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