Early gastric cancers with submucosal invasion were categorized into the following four subtypes : 1) cancerous invasion mucosal layers and lucer scars (sm₀), 2) slightly infiltrative type with minute and partial submucosal invasion (sm₁), 3) moderately infiltrative type, and intermediated type with invasion down to the submucosal layer (sm₂), 4) deep infiltrative type with deep and massive invasion almost to the proper muscle (sm₃). 258 mucosal invasion cases and 205 submucosal invasion cases were investigated with regard to the clinicopathological factors.
The results were as follows;
1) The deep infiltrative types were frequent in the protruded, elevated, and depressive types than in the other types of early gastric cancers.
2) The rates of lymph node metastasis and lymphangitic and blood vessel invasion was increased in the deep infiltrative type.
3) The survival rate in this deep infiltrative type at five years was lower than in the other type.
4) The recurrent death group's characters were as follows : macroscopically depressive types, histologically well-or moderately differentiated types, and highly invasive types to lymphangitic and blood vessels. 40% patients died within a year and metastasis occured via blood vessel route.