The Use of Tetracycline Fluorescence in the Detection of Gastric Malignancy

Abstract

Tetracycline stains most body cells, but disappears from them rather rapidly, except from malignant tissue, where it remains for weeks. Patients were given 4 grams tetracycline over 2 days, and 36 hours later their stomachs were washed with saline solution. The washings were centrifuged and the residue was examined under ultraviolet light. Brilliant yellow spots indicated the malignancy. Among 25 cases with proved gastric malignancies, all sediments confirmed the diagnosis. Of a 100 control patients, 5 false positives were found, but these were not reproducible on second examination, while all positives in gastric malignancies were reproducible. This test appears to be simple, fast, and reliable. An adsorption procedure for tetracycline from gastric washings may offer an even faster and better diagnostic test for gastric and possibly other malignancies.