Abstract
This study was designed to evaluate the usefulness of measurement of serum iron level in screening tests for gastrointestinal cancer. Of a series of 5, 623 subjects who received immunological stool guaiac test in the outpatient clinic, 341 patients whose tests were positive were enrolled in this study. After close examinations, these patients who were found to have some disease were divided into two groups: anemia and normal groups bounded by a serum hemoglobin level of 12g/dl measured when they were first seen. The calculated mean serum iron level (μg/dl) by diseases in the anemia and normal groups were 30.4±7.7 and 52.6±23.0 in colorectal cancer; 43.8±11.3 and 52.0±31.1 in gastric cancer; 55.5±20.2 and 116.9±38.8 in colorectal diverticulum; 114.0±29.2 (normal group only) in colorectal polyp; and 56.0±26.2 and 109.9±64.3 in gastroduodenal ulcer, respectively. In the normal group, there were significant differences between malignant and benign diseases; namely, between colorectal cancer and colorectal polyp; colorectal cancer and gastroduodenal ulcer; colorectal cancer and colorectal diverticulum; gastric cancer and gastroduodenal ulcer; and gastric cancer and colorectal diverticulum (p<0.01).
From these findings, it is thought that the measurement of serum iron level might contribute to improve detection rate of malignant diseases in mass screening for gastrointestinal malignancy.
