Bone marrow metastasis from gastric cancer: A case report

Bone marrow metastasis from solid tumors is a rare clinical disease with an incidence of <1%. The present study reports on a case of gastric cancer with bone marrow metastasis. The patient presented with pancytopenia and lower back pain 2 years after radical gastrectomy and 1 year after completion of chemotherapy. Imaging examinations revealed no significant bone abnormalities in CT, diffuse reduction in T1 and T2 signals in spinal MRI, and a 'super-bone scan' appearance in whole-body bone scan. Subsequently, bone marrow aspiration confirmed bone marrow metastasis. A partial response was achieved following five cycles of chemotherapy. Nonetheless, the patient soon developed headaches and an MRI scan indicated meningeal metastasis. The patient died 6 months after the initial diagnosis of bone marrow metastasis. The present study aimed to review clinical characteristics and diagnostic methods of bone marrow metastasis.