Protein-Losing Polypous Tumour of the Stomach. Functional and Ultrastructural Studies in a Case with Excessive Hypoproteinaemia

Abstract

Rask-Madsen, J., Nielsen. M. H., Schwartz, M. & Wanstrup, J. 1973. Protein-Losing Polypous Tumour of the Stomach. Functional and Ultrastructural Studies in a Case with Excessive Hypoproteinaemia. Scand. J. Gastroent. 8, 245-250.

A case of gastric tumour is reported in which the cardinal symptom was hypoproteinaemic oedema, caused by an almost selective loss of albumin from the tumour itself. An attempt was made to define whether the protein loss was caused by increased mucosal permeability, or whether it was due to secretory activity of gastric tumour cells. Intragastric secretion rate of 125J.PVP (polyvinylpyrrolidone), albumin, Ig-G, and alpha-2-macroglobulin suggested that different sizes of molecules were separated by sieving or filtering from the blood out into the lumen of the stomach. Morphological investigations showed that proteins actually appeared in the extra capillary tissue of the tumour, where fibrin precipitates might be the factor causing molecular sieving of proteins via defects in the epithelial lining.

Key-words::

• Cancer diagnosis
• gastric cancer
• gastrointestinal diseases
• hypoproteinaemia
• protein
• secretion
• stomach
• ultrastructure