[Clinical and experimental studies on DIC found in carcinoma; correlation between anti-cancer drug administration and...

The purpose of this study was to detect possible factors related to the occurrence of DIC in carcinoma patients. I) We studied 20 carcinoma cases accompanied with DIC. Results; The carcinomas most frequently accompanied with DIC were cancers of the biliary system, gastric, hepatic and pancreatic cancer, especially those with distant metastases. Pneumonia, UTI and biliary tract infections seemed to be the most important triggers of DIC. No significant relationship was found between anti-cancer chemotherapy and the DIC incidence. Endotoxemia was more frequently detected in patients having received anti-cancer drugs than in those who not. II) The effects of anti-cancer chemotherapy on the incidence of endotoxemia was examined in rats. A higher incidence of endotoxemia was noted in the groups treated with high doses of 5-FU or Cyclophosphamide. The incidence of endotoxemia seemed to run parallel with the incidence of diarrhea and of weight loss in each animal group.