Objective: to determine the diagnostic precision of endoscopic ultrasounds (EUS) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the preoperative staging of gastric cancer.Methods: a prospective, blind study was carried out in 17 patients diagnosed with gastric cancer (GC) using endoscopic biopsy from November 2002 to June 2003. Patients underwent preoperative MRI and EUS. The reference test used was pathology, and laparotomy for non-resectable cases.Results: MRI (53%) was better than EUS in the assessment of gastric wall infiltration (35%). MRI (50%) was also superior to EUS (42%) for N staging. After pooling stages T1-T2 and T3-T4 together, results improved for both MRI (67 and 87.5%, respectively) and EUS (67 and 62.5%, respectively) (p < 0.05). N staging -lymph node invasion-results were correct in 50% for MRI as compared to EUS (42%). In classifying positive and negative lymph nodes EUS was superior to MRI (73 versus 54%).Conclusions: MRI was the best method in the assessment of gastric wall infiltration. EUS was superior to MRI for T1 staging, and in the assessment of lymph node infiltration.

From 1975 to 1985,142 patients with early gastric cancer were operated on in our service; this group comprised 14 per cent of all patients with gastric cancer operated on during this period. Epigastric pain was the most frequent symptom (75.3 per cent). The lesions were located in the lower third in 45.8 per cent, in the middle third in 31.7 per cent, in the upper third in 20.4 per cent and in the gastric stump in 2.1 per cent. Subtotal gastrectomy was performed in I16 patients and operative mortality was limited to two patients. Macroscopically 86-6 per cent of cases were included in type ill, l l c and l l c -I l l . Thefive year survival rate, excluding the operative mortality, was 9 3 1 per cent. Tumours located in the lower third of the stomach, limited to the mucosa and of ulcerating type, had the best prognosis.