title: Response to combined modality treatment in a five-year survivor of extensive small cell lung cancer with severe complications.
abstract: We present a rare case of a five-year survivor of small cell lung cancer with severe complications who responded to combined modality treatment. Prior to initial chemotherapy, he experienced severe complications including sepsis, pneumonia, ileus, and a performance status of 4. He was treated with an ileus tube and IVH, and was managed by mechanical ventilation for four days. After his general condition improved, he received combination chemotherapy of carboplatin, with the target area under the plasma concentration versus the time curve (AUC) of 5 mg x min/ml day 1, and etoposide (80 mg/m2) on days 1, 2, 3 for four courses, and complete remission (CR) was obtained. Six months later, systemic relapse occurred, but he achieved complete remission again with nine courses of CODE (cisplatin, vincristine, adriamycin, and etoposide) chemotherapy and sequential chest radiotherapy. Five years after the initial chemotherapy, the patient is alive and disease free.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Yokohama Municipal Citizen's Hospital, Kanagawa.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sawafuji
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nagatomo
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kunikane
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nakamura
mesh_terms: D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017741:Survivors; D013997:Time Factors