[An immunohistochemical study of pepsinogen type C in the gastric mucosa and in stomach cancer].

129 cases of non-malignant gastric lesions and 171 cases of gastric carcinoma were studied immunohistochemically for pepsinogen C. PgC was constantly expressed at the bottom of the gastric glands irrespective of the disease. PgC was much more frequently observed in cancer patients (p < 0.001). PgC-positive were carcinoma tissues (38%), particularly of the intestinal type (53.4%), but also in mixed (40%) and diffuse (15.5%) types. PgC-negative carcinomas were more frequently observed in combination with PgC-positive areas of the surface epithelium (p < 0.001) and intestinal metaplasia (p < 0.05). PgC-positive dysplastic foci were observed in both groups of PgC-positive and PgC-negative malignant tumours.