Digestive Tract Tumors

The problem of digestive tract tumors presents multifaceted aspects which involve epidemiology, pathogenesis, histopathology, surgery and adjuvant multidisciplinary mo dality. Time trends in cancer mortality vary in the individual cancers. Mortality from stomach cancer shows a decreasing tendency in most countries, although Japan still has the highest incidence in the world. Intestinal other than rectum and pancreatic cancers have shown an increase in most countries, while mortality due to liver cell and gallbladder cancer vary greatly by locality. Since most cancers are considered to be related to en vironmental and lifestyle exposures, such as diet, smoking or excessive drinking, there is hope that action on these factors may serve to substantially reduce occurrence of the disease. Recent progress in early diagnosis has made it feasible to detect small and minute cancers, and these have proven possible to cure with relatively favorable results. The most important advancement has come from a multidisciplinary approach to cancer treatment, utilizing a balanced application of surgery, radiation therapy and chemo therapy. A considerable increase in the five-year survival rate has been realized in stomach cancer. While progress is being made in the practical treatment of this disease, it remains far better to prevent than to cure. For the first time immunization offers a unique op portunity to prevent liver cell cancer.

Inhalt
I. Carcinogenesis.- Mortality of Cancer of the Digestive Organs: The Past, Present, and Future.- Precancerous Lesions of the Stomach.- Precancerous Lesions of the Oesophagus and Their Risk Factors.- Experimental Gastric Carcinogenesis.- Morphological Changes of the Ileal Epithelium Transposed into the Colon, and Its Effects on the DMH Carcinogenesis of Rats.- II. Tumor Characteristics.- Histopathology of GI Tract Tumor.- Morphogenesis of Large Intestinal Carcinoma: Its Significance in Early Detection.- Pathology of Primary Liver Cancer and Clinical Relevance.- Class I and Class II HLA Antigens in Colorectal and Liver Carcinomas.- III. New Trends in Cancer Diagnosis.- Early Gastric Carcinoma: Analysis of Its Growth Patterns.- An Evaluation of Balloon Cytology in the Early Detection of Carcinoma of the Esophagus.- New Measures for Early Detection of Carcinoma of the Esophagus.- The Endoscopic Diagnosis of Early Gastric Cancer.- Endoscopie Diagnosis and Management of Early Carcinoma of the Colon.- New Trends in the Diagnosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.- High Risk Group of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Japan: Risk Scopes to Predict Hepatocellular Carcinoma Development in Liver Cirrhosis.- Early Diagnosis of Pancreatic Cancer: Feasible or Worthwhile?.- Early Detection of Small Pancreatic Carcinoma.- IV. Long-Term Survival and Combined Modality by Digestive Tract Cancer.- Present Status of Chemotherapy of Gastrointestinal Tumours.- Experience with Combined Preoperative Irradiation and Surgery for Carcinoma of the Esophagus.- Long-Term Survival in Cases of Early and Advanced Gastric Cancer in Chile.- Adjuvant Chemotherapy after Surgery for Gastric Cancer in Japan.- Considerations on Recent Improvements in Five-Year Survival Rate of Colon and Rectal Cancer.- Long-Term Survival of Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Reference to the Role of Early Resection, Multioperation and Multimodality Treatment.- Current Status of Surgical Therapy for Primary Liver Cancer in Japan.- Results of Surgery and Combined Modality Therapy for Carcinoma of the Pancreas.- V. Risk of Carcinoma After Partial Gastrectomy.- Introductory Remarks.- Risk of Carcinoma after Partial Gastrectomy.- Mortality from Cancer after Partial Gastrectomy in Japan.- Intestinal Bacteria and the Initiation of Cancer.- Bile Acid as a Causative Factor of Carcinoma.- Influence of Gastro-Jejunal Anastomosis on Gastric Carcinogenesis in Rats.- VI. Multidisciplinary Approach to Cancer Prevention.- Introductory Remarks on Multidisciplinary Approach to Cancer Prevention.- Prevention of Liver Cancer by Hepatitis B Vaccines.- Significance or Insignificance of Mass Screening Program for Stomach Cancer.- Nutrition and Cancer Prevention: Gastrointestinal Cancer.- Author Index.