A case of advanced gastric cancer with lymphangitis carcinomatosa of the lung,successfully treated with paclitaxel and TS-1

A 65-year-old man, who had been admitted to another hospital with complaints of severe cough and dyspnea, was transferred to our hospital for the further examination and therapy. The patient was diagnosed with advanced gastric cancer (type-3) with lymphangitis carcinomatosa of the lung. He was treated with combination therapy of 5-FU and cisplatin, and showed a complete response. However, because resistance was seen in the lymphangitis of the lung and the gastric lesion; and a liver metastasis was also seen, we attempted combination therapy with paclitaxel and TS-1. Sixty mg/m2/day of paclitaxel was administered intravenously on day 1 and 8, and TS-1 of 60-80 mg/m2/day was administered orally for 2 weeks followed by one drug-free week. After 2 courses of the combination therapy, the patient achieved a remarkable response in the lymphangitis carcinomatosa of the lung, but a slight response in the liver metastasis and gastric lesion.     

A case of advanced gastric cancer with splenic vein thrombus successfully treated with S-1 plus CPT-11 neoadjuvant chemotherapy

A 63-year-old male admitted for hematemesis was diagnosed with type 3 advanced gastric cancer located in the upper and middle body of the stomach in an endoscopic examination. Abdominal computed tomography demonstrated lymph nodes metastasis and a splenic vein thrombus. Since curative resection was not deemed possible, we performed neoadjuvant chemotherapy using S-1 (120 mg, day 1-21) plus CPT-11 (135 mg, day 1 and 15) except for down-staging. After 4 courses of chemotherapy, gastric tumor and metastatic lymph nodes were reduced in size and the splenic vein thrombus was disappeared, and then total gastrectomy was performed (tub2, T2 (MP) N0 H0 M0 P0 CY0, Stage IB). S-1 medication was applied as adjuvant chemotherapy. Forty months passed from the operation, the patient remains alive with no signs of relapse.     

A case of S-1 resistant multiple lung metastases after curative total gastrectomy for gastric cancer successfully treated by S-1 combined with CPT-11 as the third-line chemotherapy

A 78-year-old female underwent a curative total gastrectomy with D2 lymphandectomy for advanced gastric cancer in March 2003. S-1 mono-therapy (80 mg/m2, day 1-28/42 days) began as the first-line chemotherapy from October 2004 when multiple lung metastases were detected by CT. Paclitaxel mono-therapy (80 mg/m2, days 1, 8, 15/28 days) began as the second-line chemotherapy from April 2005 when prior S-1 mono-therapy judged as progressive disease (PD) by CT. Paclitaxel mono-therapy judged it as partial response (PR) in June, but the final judgement was as PD in September 2005. S-1 + CPT-11 combination therapy (S-1: 80 mg/m2, day 1-21, CPT-11: 80 mg/m2, days 1, 15/35 days) began as the third-line chemotherapy from September 2005. After 10 courses, multiple lung metastases were judged as complete response (CR) in September 2006. During the third-line chemotherapy, any adverse event of grade 2 or more did not occur. After judgment of CR, the patient has been followed without chemotherapy due to patient's desire, and is still alive without any recurrence in July 2007.     

Host immunity in colorectal cancer patients treated with TS-1 plus CPT-11

TS-1/CPT-11 treatment for the patients with advanced colorectal cancer is expected to be equal to FOLFOX and FOLFIRI regimen. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between host immunity and this regimen. Four patients were enrolled in this study. Host immunity was investigated before and after chemotherapy. PHA response, serum IAP level and the productions of any cytokines did not change significantly before and after the chemotherapy. Although these changes were not significant: both Th1/Th2 ratio and NK cells ratio were decreased, and the ratio of suppressor T cells was increased. These results suggest that TS-1/CPT-11 regimen may influence host immunity a little bit worse.     

A case of advanced gastric cancer responding remarkably to neo-adjuvant combination chemotherapy using CPT-11 plus S-1

Adjuvant chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer has not yet been established. We report a patient with advanced gastric cancer responding remarkably to neo-adjuvant combination chemotherapy consisting of CPT-11 and S-1. The patient was a 69-year-old woman diagnosed with large type 3 advanced gastric cancer with esophageal invasion and having No.3 lymph node metastasis (cT3, cN1, cM0, cStage IIIA), treated with 2 courses of CPT-11 plus S-1 as neo-adjuvant chemotherapy. Computed tomography after neo-adjuvant chemotherapy showed improvement of gastric wall thickness and reduction of lymph node metastasis. Subsequently, she underwent an operation. There was no lymph node swelling,so we performed curative surgery consisting of total gastrectomy, splenectomy, cholecystectomy, and D 2 lymph node dissection. Histological diagnosis was pT2 (MP), pN1, pStage II, and estimation of the histological change by chemotherapy was Grade 2. The course after surgery was good, and she was treated by S-1 after discharge. To date, 8 months after surgery, there is no evidence of recurrence. Combination chemotherapy consisting of CPT-11 plus S-1 can be performed safely as a neo-adjuvant treatment, and may be an effective treatment modality for advanced gastric cancer.     

A case of recurrent early gastric cancer with peritonitis carcinomatosa successfully treated with TS-1

A 62-year-old man with carcinomatous ascites more than 5 years after early gastric cancer operation was admitted to our hospital because of suspected pancreatic cancer, and was diagnosed with a relapse of the gastric cancer. TS-1 was administered at a dose of 120 mg/day. At the end of 1 course a partial response of a decrease of tumor markers and ascites and improvement of QOL was achieved, and the patient was followed in the outpatient clinic. The current case suggests that TS-1 may have a potent therapeutic efficacy in cases of gastric cancer relapse with carcinomatous ascites.     

A case of advanced gastric cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy of low-dose CPT-11 + CDDP]

Side effects due to administration of anti-cancer drugs often cause the treatment to be abandoned or a decrease in the amount of anti-cancer drugs. Recently, the anti-tumor effects of "low-dose CPT-11", which can be administered at the outpatient clinic, are reported. We performed "low-dose CPT-11 + CDDP" as a neoadjuvant chemotherapy to a patient with advanced gastric cancer. CPT-11 and CDDP combination chemotherapy caused very few side effects, so we could continue the treatment and achieve anti-tumor effects. Consequently, surgery could be performed, but disseminated metastasis was found so that the surgery ended as a non-curative operation. However, it was considered that this method of "low-dose CPT-11 + CDDP" was very effective as the neoadjuvant chemotherapy in a patient with advanced gastric cancer.     

A case of advanced gastric cancer successfully treated with TS-1

A patient with advanced gastric cancer complicated with liver and lymph node metastases was successfully treated with a novel oral anticancer drug, TS-1, TS-1 was administered at a dose of 100 mg/day. One course consisted of consecutive administration of TS-1 for 28 days and withdrawal for 14 days. At the end of 3 courses a partial response of the liver metastases was achieved. Although the patient has had complications with ascites collection due to hypoalbuminemia, he has been well without regrowth of any metastases for over 8 months.     

A case of type 4 gastric cancer,diagnosed after operation for Krukenberg's tumor,treated by TS-1 plus low-dose cisplatinum

Survival of patients with advanced gastric cancer with Krukenberg's tumor is poor. We report the case of a good response in a 37-year-old woman who had type 4 gastric cancer, diagnosed after the operation of Krukenberg's tumor, and then was treated with TS-1, a DPD inhibitory fluoropyrimidine, in combination with a low-dose cisplatinum (CDDP). Endoscopic gastric biopsy showed signet-ring cell adenocarcinoma and moderately differentiated tubular adenocarcinoma, and computed tomography (CT) showed the para-aortic lymph node metastasis before the chemotherapy. The patient was treated with two courses of TS-1 (100 mg/day, day 1-21) plus CDDP (10 mg/m2, day 1-5, 8-12, 15-19) with two-week interval. After the first course, gastric biopsy did not show any cancer cells and lymph node metastasis had disappeared. Serum CA19-9 decreased gradually week by week during the chemotherapy, even during the washout period after the first course, and was normalized after two courses. This case suggests that the combination of TS-1 and low-dose CDDP is effective against type 4 advanced gastric cancer.     

A case of advanced gastric cancer successfully treated by neoadjuvant chemotherapy with CPT-11, CDDP and 5-FU

A patient with advanced gastric cancer was treated with combined administration of CPT-11 CDDP and 5-FU before operation. CPT-11 was given intravenously at a dose of 30 mg/m2/day on day 1 and day 8. At the same time, 5 mg/m2/day CDDP and 350 mg/m2/day 5-FU were infused for 2 weeks. The patient experienced no other adverse reaction than a mild degree of nausea. Histological examination of the resected specimen revealed complete disappearance of cancer cells both in the stomach and the regional lymphnodes.     

A case of gastric cancer with metastasis to cervical lymph nodes and pulmonary lymphangitis carcinomatosa responding to neoadjuvant chemotherapy with TS-1 and CDDP

The patient was a 61-year-old man who had gastric cancer with metastasis to cervical lymph nodes and pulmonary lymphangitis carcinomatosa. He received daily oral administration of 120 mg of TS-1 (day 1-21) and systemic administration of 100 mg of CDDP (day 8) as one treatment course. As the metastatic lesions had disappeared after chemotherapy, he underwent total gastrectomy. Histopathological examination of resected regional lymph nodes revealed marked fibrosis and a small amount of scattered cancer cells. Although much peritoneal dissemination was observed macroscopically, histopathological examination of these tumors revealed only fibrosis with no cancer cells. These findings supported the effect of this neoadjuvant chemotherapy. He died of recurrence of the carcinoma 203 days after surgery, without any sign of recurrence of metastasis to cervical lymph nodes or pulmonary lymphangitis carcinomatosa.     

Complete response of recurrent gastric cancer to chemotherapy with TS-1 and CPT-11--a case report

A 58-year-old man with gastric cancer who had undergone distal gastrectomy on February 8, 2001 was revealed to have anorexia, and was diagnosed with a local recurrence in anastomosis by upper GI examination in August 2003. In September 2003, he was given combination chemotherapy with TS-1 50 mg/m2 (days 1-14) and CPT-11 80 mg/m2 (days 1, 8) every 3 weeks. A complete response (CR) was confirmed by endoscopy in December 2003. At present, he has been receiving chemotherapy with only TS-1 50 mg/m2 as a maintenance therapy and continuing CR. However, a trial of combination therapy with TS-1 plus CPT-11 is ongoing, and this combination chemotherapy may well achieve a high response rate. Because the adverse events of this chemotherapy have been mild and tolerable in some of our cases, this regimen is considered very useful.     

A case of recurrent pleural effusion and positive cytology of advanced gastric cancer treated by TS-1 plus weekly taxane as second-line chemotherapy

A second-line chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer has not been established. We report a case of good response in a 39-year-old woman who had recurrent pleural effusion and positive cytology of type 4 gastric cancer and was treated with TS-1, a DPD inhibitory fluoropyrimidine, in combination with weekly taxane. After a partial response for type 4 gastric cancer from the treatment with 2 courses of TS-1 plus low-dose cisplatinum (CDDP), followed by outpatient chemotherapy with TS-1 alone or TS-1 plus weekly CDDP, left pleural effusion appeared and CA19-9 increased during the 7th course of the chemotherapy. Cytology of the effusion was class IV. The patient was treated with a course of TS-1 (120 mg/day, day 1-21) plus paclitaxel (50 mg/m2, day 1, 8) followed by 2 week washout. In the following courses, paclitaxel was replaced with docetaxel (30 mg/m2, day 1 and 8) and the course was continued in the outpatient setting. After 2 courses, the left pleural effusion disappeared and remained absent after 6 courses. Gastric biopsy showed no cancer cells and abdominal CT showed no recurrence. Serum CA19-9 doubled 1 week after taxane treatment and decreased gradually week by week during the course. This case suggests that a combination of TS-1 and taxane is effective against recurrent pleural effusion of advanced gastric cancer and useful as a second-line chemotherapy.     

A case of advanced gastric cancer effectively treated by combined chemotherapy of TS-1 and paclitaxel

A patient was a 66-year-old male who had advanced gastric cancer with left gastric artery lymph node metastasis and invasion of pancreas and spleen. We thought a complete resection was difficult, so he was given neo-adjuvant chemotherapy by combined of TS-1 100 mg/day (2 weeks administration and 1 week rest) and Paclitaxel (PTX) 75 mg/body (day 1, 8). After 2 courses of this neo-adjuvant chemotherapy, tumor and lymph node swelling had decreased in size, and the tumor markers were reduced remarkably (CEA 9 2.5 --> 12.2 ng/ml, CA 19-9 2, 739 --> 19 3 U/ml). He underwent total gastrectomy and Roux-en Y reconstruction. No.4 d and No.7 lymph nodes were swollen and hard, but white with a neurotic-like appearance. On pathological study, no malignancy was seen in the lymph nodes, and a good partial response was achieved. In this chemotherapy, no side effects were seen, and he maintained good quality of life. TS-1/PTX therapy was thought to be an effective neoadjuvant chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer.     

Second-or third-line chemotherapy with CPT-11+TS-1 for 5 cases of metastatic and recurrent colorectal cancer

The 3-drug regimen of CPT-11+5-FU+l-LV is generally used for metastatic and/or recurrent colorectal cancer. We have applied this treatment as the first-line intervention in our hospital. However,when the efficacy is reduced we try chemotherapy using CPT-11+TS-1 for 5 outpatients as second- or third-line chemotherapy. Decreased CEA levels were subsequently observed in 4 of 5 cases. In addition, 2 cases exhibited grade 1 or 2 adverse effects, but no case developed neutropenia. We could expect such effects even for patients after only 5-FU, and this treatment may be performed safely on ambulatory patients.     

A case of advanced gastric cancer successfully treated by TS-1 and CDDP after jejunostomy

A 65-year-old female with unresectable advanced gastric cancer accompanied by multiple lung metastases underwent jejunostomy and was treated with TS-1 and CDDP. One course consisted of TS-1 (80 mg/day) via an intestinal fistula tube from days 1 to 14 followed by 14 days rest and CDDP (80 mg/day) was administered by 24-hour continuous intravenous infusion on day 8. After 3 courses, the primary tumor and lymph node metastases decreased in size (PR), and CT scan showed the multiple lung metastases had disappeared. Total gastrectomy (D 2) and splenectomy were performed after chemotherapy. The final diagnosis was Stage IIIA and the pathological response to chemotherapy was Grade 2. The patient has survived for over 14 months after surgery and has presented no signs of recurrence.     

A case of advanced gastric cancer treated with paclitaxel and TS-1

We treated a case of advanced gastric cancer with paclitaxel and TS-1. A 64-year-old man underwent total gastrectomy, splenectomy, and D2 + No. 16 a 2, b 1 lymph node (LN) dissection for gastric cancer. Computed tomography (CT) revealed metastases of supraclavicular and para-aortic LNs in the 4th postoperative month. Paclitaxel 90 mg was infused once a week, and TS-1 100 mg was administered daily. One course consisted of infusion of paclitaxel for 3 weeks followed by 2 weeks rest and administration of TS-1 for 4 weeks followed by 2 weeks rest. At the end of 4 courses of paclitaxel and 3 courses of TS-1, a partial response of the supraclavicular LN metastasis and a complete response of the para-aortic LN metastasis were achieved. There were no remarkable side effects for 2 years after the operation. This chemotherapy might be suitable to treat patients with LN metastases of advanced gastric cancer.     

A case of TS-1 resistant recurrent gastric cancer responding to TS-1 +CPT-11 combination therapy

A 71-year-old man underwent distal partial gastrectomy for gastric cancer. Four years after surgery, the tumor marker was elevated. Examinations by computed tomography (CT) revealed para-aortic lymphnode swelling and hydronephrosis. The patient treated oral administration of TS-1 (120 mg/day). After 3 courses of treatment of TS-1, progressive disease was observed. TS-1+CPT-11 (TS-1 120 mg/day day 1-14, CPT-11 100 mg/day day 1, 15) combination therapy was then chosen as second-line chemotherapy. After 5 courses of combination therapy, the tumor marker was decreased and para-aortic lymphnodes could not be detected by CT. Only grade 2 leukopenia was observed as an adverse event during the therapy. TS-1+CPT-11 combination therapy could be useful as the second-line chemotherapy for cases of TS-1 resistant recurrent gastric cancer.     

A case of unresectable gastric cancer successfully treated with combination chemotherapy of S-1 + CPT-11

A 70-year-old female, with type III gastric cancer underwent a staging laparoscopy in September 2004. Judging from the results of endoscopy, enhanced CT and staging laparoscopy, we finally diagnosed the patient with stage IV (T3N2MOHOP1CY1), and we started a combination chemotherapy of S-1 + CPT-11 (S-1: 80 mg/m2, day 1-21/35 days, CPT-11: 80 mg/m2, day 1, 15/35 days) from October 2005 to January 2007. Enhanced CT after 2 courses of the combination chemotherapy showed partial response (PR) in the primary lesion. PR continued up to the 13 courses. The CT and gastro fiberscope finally showed complete response (CR) with Group I in biopsy. During these procedures, the grade 3 of neutropenia, grade 1 of diarrhea and grade 1 of fatigue occurred as adverse events. In January 2007, Virchow and, abdominal lymph node metastases were detected, and that we judged the metastases as progressive disease (PD). Nevertheless, the second-line of paclitaxel chemotherapy (70 mg/m2, days 1, 8,15/28 days) has started and she was being judged PD after 2 courses, she died in April 2007.     

Clinical efficacy and safety of CPT-11+CDDP therapy as third-line chemotherapy for advanced and recurrent gastric cancer

The clinical efficacy and safety of CPT-11+CDDP therapy were studied retrospectively in 34 patients with advanced and recurrent gastric cancer. The overall response rate was 5. 9%; MST was 209 days. The adverse effects observed were grade 3 in 7 patients(20. 6%). CPT-11+CDDP therapy could be useful and safe as third-line chemotherapy.