In histological examination of gastrectomy specimens from patients with duodenal ulcer, gastric ulcer, and early and advanced cancer, both chronic atrophic gastritis and intestinal metaplasia were identified in 54% of the cases with duodenal ulcer. At 90 to 100%, respectively, these mucosal changes were approximately twice as frequent with gastric ulcer and early and advanced gastric cancer. Mild dysplasia occurred in 54% of the cases with duodenal ulcer; occurred somewhat more frequently with gastric ulcer, in 75% of the cases; and in almost all cases with early and advanced gastric cancer, at 90% and 100%, respectively. Whereas 27% of the cases with duodenal ulcer, 62% with gastric ulcer, and 90% and 95% of the respective cases with early and advanced gastric cancer showed moderate dysplasia, only severe dysplasia in early gastric cancer (40%) and advanced gastric (81%) was clearly more frequent in comparison to duodenal ulcer (9%) and gastric ulcer (12%). In the cases with duodenal ulcer chronic atrophic gastritis and intestinal metaplasia were limited mostly to the antrum; with gastric ulcer and cancerous stomach disorders, they also occurred in other stomach sections. Mild and moderate dysplasia conformed to the same distribution pattern. Severe dysplasia, which was only detected in two ulcer cases, was not only substantially more frequent in cases with early and advanced gastric cancer, but also showed a clear topographic relationship to cancer localization in the stomach.