title: Term delivery choriocarcinoma patient with brain and lung metastases successfully treated by etoposide, methotrexate, actomycin D, cyclophosphamide and vincristine (EMA-CO) chemotherapy.
abstract: It is well known that antecedent term delivery and metastasis to sites other than the lungs and vagina are high risk factors for patients with gestational trophoblastic neoplasia. Here we report on a patient with choriocarcinoma who presented with brain and lung metastases after term delivery and was treated by EMA-CO chemotherapy. A 31-year-old woman delivered a healthy infant at term. Frequent episodes of hemoptysis occurred beginning 3 weeks after the delivery. On admission to our hospital, she had lesions in the uterus, lungs and brain as well as motor aphasia and hemiplagia. The pretreatment beta-hCG level was 21,000 ng/ml and the WHO score was 16 (high-risk group). The EMA-CO regimen was administrated as first-line chemotherapy and the patient achieved complete remission after 7 courses. Treatment was terminated after 11 courses and maintained with etoposide (25 mg/day) for 6 months. The patient has remained in complete remission for more than 16 years without other adjuvant therapies. We believe that EMA-CO can currently be considered the regimen of first choice for most high-risk patients with gestational trophoblastic neoplasia in view of its effectiveness and excellent tolerability.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama 700-8558, Japan. kiki1063@cc.okayama-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hiramatsu
authors.forename: Hisashi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Masuyama
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ishida
authors.forename: Kazuharu
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Murakami
authors.forename: Masaru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sakurai
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000556:secondary*; D002822:Choriocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000556:secondary*; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003609:Dactinomycin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005047:Etoposide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000556:secondary*; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011247:Pregnancy; D014594:Uterine Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014750:Vincristine / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D003609:Dactinomycin; D014750:Vincristine; D005047:Etoposide; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D008727:Methotrexate