[Successful chemotherapy based on in vitro chemosensitivity testing in a case of recurrent thymic carcinoma].
A 71-year-old woman underwent radical resection in May 1994 for a mediastinal mass invading the anterior chest wall. Histopathological examination revealed adenosquamous cell carcinoma. She was treated with postoperative chemotherapy including 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and 4'-D-tetrahydropyrayl-doxorubicin (THP), based on in vitro chemosensitivity testing (CST), by MTT assay, using a surgical specimen. In December 1994, a recurrent tumor was detected on the left anterior chest wall and the patient received two courses of 5-FU, THP and methotrexate (MTX). The size of the chest-wall tumor decreased 25%. In July 1995, the patient had involvement of the left axillary lymph node and brain metastases in addition to the mass on the chest wall. Therefore, cisplatin, 5-FU and MTX were selected as treatment agents, based on CST using a metastatic axillary lymph node. After two courses of these agents, chest computed tomography showed a 91% reduction in the size of the chest wall tumor. Radiation was administered for the brain metastasis. In March 1997, the patient died of thymic carcinoma.
Mori
T
T
First Department of Surgery, Kumamoto University School of Medicine, Japan.
Hongo
H
H
Kondo
K
K
Akamine
T
T
Hanada
N
N
Toyota
N
N
Yoshioka
M
M
Tabira
Y
Y
Hiraoka
T
T
Kitamura
N
N
D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary; D018196:Carcinoma, Adenosquamous / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000556:secondary; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004354:Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000008:administration & dosage; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D002945:Cisplatin; D005472:Fluorouracil; D008727:Methotrexate