An adolescent case of retroperitoneal pure choriocarcinoma: successful treatment with MCNU-containing high-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous bone marrow transplantation after multiple brain metastases.
Choriocarcinoma is a rare disease in pediatric neoplasms. The prognosis of the disease is extremely poor once when patients relapse or become refractory to cisplatin (CDDP). A 17-year-old male who had retroperitoneal pure choriocarcinoma of advanced stage was treated with CDDP-based intensive chemotherapy. In spite of the initial good response to CDDP-based intensive chemotherapy, the tumor metastasized to multiple areas of the brain during chemotherapy. Since the brain in this case was thought to be a sanctuary, after radiotherapy to the whole cranium, the patient was treated with high-dose chemotherapy consisting of etoposide, carboplatin, and ranimustine (MCNU), which can penetrate the blood-brain barrier, followed by autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT). Twenty-four months after ABMT, the patient had no sign of disease recurrence. MCNU-containing high-dose chemotherapy with ABMT appears to be quite effective in cases that present with relapsing multiple brain metastases during CDDP-based chemotherapy.
Nagatoshi
Y
Y
Pediatrics Section, National Kyushu Cancer Center, Fukuoka, Japan.
Okamura
J
J
Ikuno
Y
Y
Tasaka
H
H
D000293:Adolescent; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000556:secondary / Q000628:therapy*; D002822:Choriocarcinoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000556:secondary; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009607:Nitrosourea Compounds / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011859:Radiography; D012186:Retroperitoneal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy*; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D009607:Nitrosourea Compounds; C020766:ranimustine