Carcinoma of the stomach in the young adult

Carcinoma of the stomach is usually considered a disease of middle aged or elderly patients and is rarelysuspected in young adults. However carcinoma of the stomach in the young adults is an aggresive malignant diseasewith nonspecific symptoms and worse prognosis than older age group because of late diagnosis and increasedincidence of undifferentiated form. In an attempt to identify further the natural history of carcinoma of thestomach in the young adults, we reviewed 68 cases of stomach cancers in patients 30 years of age and less atSeverance hospital. The results were as follows; 1. The over-all male to female ratio in the young adult was1:1.34 and in older age group was 2.44:1. 2. Common symptoms included epigastric pain, weight loss and vomiting.The means time interval between onset of symptoms and the first visit to a physician was 3 months. 3. Usuallydiagnostic aids were UGI series and endoscopic examination, 38 patients underwent an exploratory laparatomy,andlesions were amenable to curative or palliative resection. 4. In the young age Bormamm type III and IV werepredominent, while in the older age group Bormann type II and III were common. 5. The majority of tumors occuredin the cardia, fundus and upper body. 6. Histologic diagnosis were poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, signetring cell carcinoma and anaplastic carcinoma in orders. 7. A relatively high incidence of pregnancy and Krukenbergtumor in the young age were noted.