Advanced gastric cancer associated with acute myelocytic leukemia--report of a case

A case of advanced gastric cancer associated with acute myelocytic leukemia (AML) is reported. Synchronous double malignancies of gastric cancer and AML are very rare. Combination chemotherapy (BHAC-DMP) was used as the method for induction and consolidation therapy for AML and a complete remission was obtained. However, it failed to show any therapeutic effect on the gastric cancer. A radical subtotal gastrectomy was performed with lymphadenectomy. During the postoperative course, both respiratory failure and severe thrombocytopenia progressed. Fortunately, the patient responded well to mechanical ventilation and the administration of heparin. She was discharged on day 52 after surgery, and no sign of recurrence of either gastric cancer or AML has been observed over the one-year period following the gastrectomy. In principle, in order to achieve a good prognosis, a radical resection should be carried out for gastric cancer associated with AML. However, chemotherapy for AML might make the patient vulnerable to surgical stress, although we could not demonstrate any concrete evidence which could prove the impairment of host immunity in this case. It is, therefore, possible that not only the relapse of AML but also the impairment of host immunity may cause some other difficulties during the post-gastrectomy course.