Diagnosis of metastatic lesions to the stomach by salvage cytology. A report of three cases. Secondary neoplasms of the stomach are rare and are often clinical and diagnostic problems. Three patients with bleeding "volcano-like" ulcers were diagnosed by combined endoscopic "salvage" cytology and surgical biopsy as having metastatic submucosal lesions from hematologic spread. The combination of endoscopic appearance, clinical findings, and tissue and cytologic examination can lead to the correct diagnosis. The results from these cases support the utility of this cytologic technique in combination with biopsy in this clinical setting. 