Gastric cancer is a major cause of cancer-related mortality. At the time of diagnosis, majority of the patients usually have unresectable or metastatic disease. The most common sites of metastases are the liver and the peritoneum, but in the advanced stages, there may be metastases to any region of the body. Bone marrow is an important metastatic site for solid tumors, and the prognosis in such cases is poor. In gastric cancer cases, bone marrow metastasis is usually observed in younger patients and in those with poorly differentiated tumors. Prognosis is worsened owing to the poor histomorphology as well as the occurrence of pancytopenia. The effect of standard chemotherapy is unknown, as survival is limited to a few weeks. This report aimed to evaluate 5 gastric cancer patients with bone marrow metastases to emphasize the importance of this condition.
Bone Marrow* ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy ; Humans ; Liver ; Mortality ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Pancytopenia ; Peritoneum ; Prognosis ; Stomach Neoplasms

·AIM: To examine the association between high density lipoprotein ( HDL) 3 cholesterol, nitrite plus nitrate ( NOx) and total antioxidant status in diabetic retinopathy patients compared to controls.·METHODS:This was a prospective, case-control study. One hundred and six participants were subdivided into three groups. Eighty-four type 2 diabetes patients with and without retinopathy and 22 healthy controls were included in this study. Serum HDL3 concentrations were assayed and serum NOx levels were determined in all patients. Total antioxidant capacity was measured using the ferric reducing power of plasma ( FRAP) assay.·RESULTS: Among the subjects with diabetes mellitus (DM), fasting glucose, HbA1c and triglycerides were significantly higher than the healthy controls. HDL3 level was 14. 4 ( 12. 0 ) mg/dl in healthy subjects, 18. 1 ( 12. 6 ) mg/dl in the diabetic retinopathy group and 14. 0 (12. 5) mg/dl in diabetic patients without retinopathy, and was statistically similar between the groups (P=0. 262). HDL level was similar between groups in our population. FRAP level was lower in patients with DM compared to healthy controls (P=0. 003), but was not different between the DR and the non-DR groups (P=0. 913).·CONCLUSION:In our study, we demonstrated that HDL and HDL3 subgroup levels didn't significantly differ between DM2 patients with DR and without DR and healthy controls. Determination of HDL3 cholesterol, in addition to total HDL cholesterol, may not predict the actual risk for diabetic retinopathy. Serum NOx was observed to be higher in diabetic participants and FRAP level was low.