Studies on the Mechanism of Hypoproteinemia in Gastric Cancer: 1. Albumin Leakage into the Stomach in Gastric Cancer Patients

The leakage of serum albumin into the gastric juice was measuredusing ¹³¹I-RISA as a tracer in 30 cases with — and eightcases without — gastric carcinoma. A marked increase ofalbumin leakage was noticed in six cases with gastric cancer.Apparent correlation was not found between the degree of leakageof serum albumin and any such factors as age, sex, gastric acidity,PAS stainability, Borrmann's type, histological type and sizeof crater. Edema of mucosa and submucosal tissue and severe lymphatic invasionof cancer cells were found in the cases with high leakage. Thesefindings, therefore, suggested that stasis of lymph in the tumorand the surrounding normal tissue of the stomach was one ofthe causes of albumin leakage into the lumen of the stomach. ^*This work was supported by a grant from the Ministry of Healthand Welfare.