Oral etoposide following combination chemotherapy and radiation therapy in a patient with advanced adult neuroblastoma led to long survival.
Although neuroblastoma is a common tumor of early childhood, it is rare in adults. In spite of the poor prognosis of advanced neuroblastoma in adults, there is still no effective treatment for this condition in adults. Here we report that oral etoposide salvage chemotherapy was able to prolong the survival of an adult patient with advanced neuroblastoma. A 26-year-old man had advanced neuroblastoma that was resistant to combination intravenous chemotherapy and radiation therapy. He was then treated with oral etoposide, at a dose of 50 mg daily for 5 days in a 21-day course. Toxicity was very mild and he was followed as an outpatient while he received 76 courses of this oral etoposide salvage chemotherapy. Seventy months after diagnosis, this patient is still alive and has no new distant metastases.
Yamaguchi
S
S
Department of Urology, Yamaguchi University School of Medicine, 1-1-1 Minami-Kogushi, Ube, Yamaguchi 755-8505, Japan.
Wada
T
T
Oba
K
K
Yoshihiro
S
S
Naito
K
K
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005047:Etoposide / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000532:radiotherapy; D012186:Retroperitoneal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000532:radiotherapy; D016879:Salvage Therapy
D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D005047:Etoposide