Uncommon though it is, there is a possibility that a gastric ulcer is an ulcer caused by cancer. The evidence that strengthens this possibility is: irregular edges to the ulcer, the patient making no response at all to treatment for ulcer, and stomach complaints that get steadily worse.
Biopsies taken from the edges of the ulcer need examining by the pathologist. Sometimes the biopsies can come back negative for cancer. In such patients the endoscopy must without fail be repeated within a short time and an assessment made on a large number of fresh biopsies.
An indeterminate ulcer is the name given to an ulcer that falls in between — one where it cannot be decided at endoscopy whether it is an ordinary ulcer or an ulcer caused by cancer.
Sources
- Prof. Ali Tüzün İnce, MD — Kadıköy Endoscopy Center archive