Blood and urine iodine levels in patients with gastric cancer.

In this study, we aimed to investigate whether there is any relationship between gastric cancer and iodine concentrations in blood and urine in the northeast Anatolia region, where iodine deficiency is common. A total of 56 patients, diagnosed as gastric cancer and 25 healthy volunteers were included in the study. The methods used were based on the Sandell-Kolthoff reaction. The urine iodine concentration (UIC) and serum protein-bound iodine (PBI) levels were higher in patients with gastric cancer compared with healthy control subjects. The UIC in stage IV was higher than all other stages and the control group. The UIC was higher in stages III and IV compared with stages I and II. However, serum PBI levels in stage III were higher compared with stages I and II and also control group. The serum PBI level in stage IV was higher than stage II and the control group. In the patient and control groups, there were no significant differences in serum PBI and UIC with regard to age or sex. Our results suggested that urinary and blood iodine concentration might be a useful marker for following the disease.