Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Gastroenterol. Oct 21, 2026; 32(39): 119757
Published online Oct 21, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.119757
Published online Oct 21, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.119757
Diagnostic accuracy in early gastric cancer: Is endoscopic ultrasound staging still reliable?
Chahrazed Dous, Department of General Surgery, Public Hospital of Theniet El Abed, Batna 5011, Algeria
Author contributions: Dous C contributed to the conceptualization, drafting, and critical revision of the review and approves the final version for publication.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The author reports no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Chahrazed Dous, MD, Department of General Surgery, Public Hospital of Theniet El Abed, Daïra of Theniet EL Abed, Batna 5011, Algeria.
Received: February 5, 2026
Revised: March 6, 2026
Accepted: April 16, 2026
Published online: October 21, 2026
Processing time: 214 Days and 7.6 Hours
Revised: March 6, 2026
Accepted: April 16, 2026
Published online: October 21, 2026
Processing time: 214 Days and 7.6 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: The choice between endoscopic and surgical treatment in early gastric cancer is based on accurate determination of the depth of tumor invasion. Endoscopic ultrasound has long been considered the most useful tool for this purpose when compared with conventional endoscopy and imaging modalities. However, the accuracy of endoscopic ultrasound in distinguishing between mucosal and submucosal invasion is variable and is influenced by multiple clinicopathological factors. The aim of this article is to discuss this concern and to review other effective diagnostic approaches for assessing invasion depth in early gastric cancer.