Abstract: 8112 patients were examined with fiberoptic gastroscopy during 1973-1981. and gastric cancer was found in 400 cases. Among these 400 patients 24 were categorized as early gastric cancer. The diagnosis was further verified by pathological examinations. for which serial sections of the resected specimens were made. There were 11 mucosal and 12 submucosal carcinomas. In the remaining patient. as the very small primary lesion had been totally removed on taking a biopsy during gastroscopic examination, no further evidence of malignancy was found in the resected specimen after a thorough se-arch. The tumors were located on the greater curvature in 5 cases. and lesser curvature in 19 cases. Except 2 patients, in whom the carcinoma was situated in the cardiac re-gion. all the rest were in the vicinity of pyloric or antral region. Histologically. there were 3 papillary adenocarcinomas. 7 tubular adenocarcinomas. and 10 poorly differen-tiated or undifferentiated tubular adenocarcinomas of which signet ring cells were found in 3. Metastases to regional lymph nodes were present in 5 cases. Early diagnosis of gastric cancer was successful through intimate collaboration bet-ween roentgenologist. fiberoptic gastroscopist and pathologist. During examination. on the basis of a thorough inspection of all areas of the gastric mucosa accessible to the fiberoptic gastroscope, special attention should be paid on the pyloric and antral regions. which are liable to the development of cancer. Biopsy specimens should be taken from the edges of the lesion as well as from its center. It is preferable to take 4-6 speci-mens each time. The possibility of malignant degeneration of a long-lasting chronic gas-tric ulcer should arouse our vigilant attention in a patient with prolonged history of such lesion.