[The diagnosis of cancer of the stomach and large intestine under active dispensary observation]. / Diagnostika raka zheludka i tolstoi kishki v usloviiakh aktivnogo dispansernogo nabliudeniia.

Among patients placed under permanent medical observation carried out for 6-8 years, gastric carcinoma (GC) was revealed in 288 and colonic carcinoma (CC) in 377 cases. In 67 and 60% of the patients, respectively, the diagnosis was established as a result of systematic dispensary examinations. The first and second stage disease was identified in 50 and 43% of the cases, including 67% of GC and 62% of CC patients undergoing active examinations. In 40% of the cases on the average, the disease may run an asymptomatic course, including the late stages of the disease. In half the patients, the clinical manifestations did not last more than 3 months, with their duration being independent of the disease stage. It is assumed that at the initial stage the tumor may, during a short period of time, reach the size corresponding to both early and late stages of the disease, after which the rate of tumor growth is likely to be slower. The authors document the necessity of a comprehensive approach to the diagnosis of GC and CC, using the whole armamentarium of classical and up-to-date methods.