[Hematological disorders in patients with gastric cancer]

Changes of coagulation and fibrinolysis with regard to the difference among histopathological features of cancerous tissue and postoperative alteration of hematological disorders were studied in 95 patients with gastric cancer. Platelet, fibrinogen, platelet aggregation and FDP were increased and plasminogen, alpha 2-macroglobulin and antithrombin III were decreased as the stage of the cancer progressed. Increase of these hematological disorders with the advance of cancer was observed regardless of histopathological characteristics. Although degree of hematological derangement were increased with the advance of medullary type of cancer, these findings were not observed in scirrhous cancer. Furthermore, fibrin deposition around cancerous tissue was not observed in scirrhous cancer but in medullary cancer. After complete resection of cancerous tissue was performed, hematological disorders were normalized. On the other hand, platelet, fibrinogen, plasminogen, alpha 2-macroglobulin and antithrombin III were decreased and FDP was increased markedly after incomplete resection of cancer. These results suggested that hematological disorders in the advanced stage of gastric cancer, especially medullary cancer, were inclining to the level of DIC and patients in case of incomplete resection of cancer might be on the verge of DIC with residual cancerous tissue.