Three cases of advanced breast cancer successfully treated with a weekly dose of paclitaxel

We report three cases with advanced breast cancer were treated with a weekly dose of paclitaxel (TXL). Case 1: A 52-year-old female, diagnosed as having bilateral breast cancer with metastatis to right lung (S9) and sternum. A TXL weekly regimen was started (80 mg/m2 with the administration of the drug for three weeks followed by one week rest as one course). After twelve courses of treatment, bilateral breast masses significantly regressed with the disappearance of bilateral axillary and parasternal lymph node metastasis. The tumor marker was normalized, too. After two years and four months, the patient is still alive and continuing the weekly TXL regimen. Case 2: A 51-year-old female with right breast cancer and skin ulcer formation. After completing two courses of weekly TXL regimen, her mass was markedly reduced in size, which made it possible for her to undergo a modified mastectomy. Case 3: A 52-year-old female with breast cancer which invaded the skin. As a result of two courses of weekly TXL therapy, the tumor responded significantly and a modified mastectomy was conducted. The TXL weekly regimen seems to be very effective in regressing breast tumors and can be given safely in the outpatient setting with an extremely high utility profile as neoadjuvant chemotherapy as well.     

A case of hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC) with tumor fever responding to docetaxel plus prednisolone therapy

We have experienced a patient with tumor fever from hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC) who was treated successfully using docetaxel plus prednisolone therapy. A 65-year-old male was diagnosed with prostate cancer (T4 N1 M1b). He received androgen-ablation therapy. But six months later he was confirmed to show failure of the previous hormone therapy and disease progression even after anti-androgen withdrawal. Then docetaxel plus prednisolone therapy was started. After two courses of this therapy, the PSA level decreased by 50% or more, and after ten courses an improvement was seen on the bone scan. The patient has survived for twelve months after starting docetaxel plus prednisolone therapy, without serious adverse events.     

A case of multi-drug resistant breast cancer with liver metastasis treated effectively by S-1 monotherapy

We report a case of multi-drug-resistant breast cancer with liver metastases which completely responded and improved the quality of life (QOL)by S-1 monotherapy. The patient was a 53-year-old woman, who was diagnosed as breast cancer with invasive chest wall, cervical lymph node metastases, multiple bone metastases and bilateral pleural effusion[invasive ductal carcinoma, scirrhous type, ER(-), PgR(+), HER2(1+)]. After six courses of cyclophosphamide+epirubicin(CE)and weekly paclitaxel for 3 months, cervical lymph node metastasis was judged as a partial response(PR)and the bilateral pleural effusion disappeared. After chemotherapy, aromatase inhibitor (AI) was used. However, primary lesion and multiple bone metastases no change(NC). Following pass through AI+ oral anticancer drug combination chemotherapy and oral anticancer drug monotherapy, the therapy was changed to palliative, and she was referred to our hospital in January 2007. On arrival at the hospital, respiratory distress and bilateral pleural effusion had appeared, so it was an emergency admission. After removing the pleural effusion, pleurodesis was done and the symptoms disappeared. Although AI plus bisphosphonate therapy were started at hospital discharge, disease progression and fatigue appeared. In December 2007, we started S-1 monotherapy. S-1 was given orally at 80 mg/m2 for day 1-28 followed by a 2-week rest period, within a 6-week courses. Six months after treatment was started, multiple liver metastases disappeared and peritoneal effusion decreased. During the period of S-1 treatment, there were no serious adverse events, and treatment was possible without compromising QOL. This result suggested that S-1 treatment was a reasonable option for multi-drug-resistant breast cancer.     

Testicular Metastasis of Prostate Cancer: A Case Report

The incidence of secondary neoplasms of the testis during autopsies is approximately 2.5%. Although most secondary testicular metastases are due to prostate cancer, only a few patients with prostate cancer have clinically manifested testicular metastasis. We report the case of a prostate cancer patient with testicular metastasis who was diagnosed after the presence of a palpable mass in the right testis. A 56-year-old Japanese male presented to our hospital with an elevated serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level of 137 ng/ml. He was diagnosed with stage IV (T3N1M1b) prostate cancer and received androgen deprivation therapy, followed by various hormonal manipulations. His serum PSA level was undetectable for 1 year. No distant metastases were detected during imaging examinations. He received radiation therapy; however, his serum PSA level increased gradually. Four months later, he presented with right testicular swelling. Computed tomography revealed a heterogenous mass in the right testis and a right high inguinal orchiectomy was performed. Histopathological analysis showed that the right testis was infiltrated with metastatic adenocarcinoma with a Gleason score of 8. This is a rare case of right testicular metastasis in a patient with prostate cancer. Testicular metastasis of prostate cancer can be aggressive and metastasize.Key Words: Prostate cancer, Testicular metastasis, Orchiectomy     

Synchronous bilateral breast cancer in a male patient following hormone therapy for prostate cancer

We report an unusual case of bilateral, synchronous breast cancer in a male patient who had a history of estrogen therapy for prostate cancer. A 64-year-old Japanese man was diagnosed with T1N0M0 prostate cancer and received a total prostatectomy. Twenty months after the resection, the patient developed multiple bone metastases, and received radiation therapy, systemic chemotherapy, and hormone therapy for 15 months. After completing this treatment, he was diagnosed with T1N0M0 primary breast cancer in his left breast and underwent a modified mastectomy. Five months after the mastectomy he received systemic chemotherapy followed by estrogen therapy because of the progression of prostate cancer. Three months after this treatment, he was diagnosed with T1N0M0 primary breast cancer in his right breast. To the best of our knowledge, this is a rare case of synchronous bilateral male breast cancer following hormone therapy for prostate cancer.     

健择加顺铂全身化疗治疗激素非依赖性晚期前列腺癌的近期疗效

背景与目的:迄今为止,临床上仍需探索有效的治疗措施治疗激素非依赖性晚期前列腺癌。本研究拟探讨健择加顺铂治疗激素非依赖性晚期前列腺癌的临床效果及不良反应。方法:15例激素非依赖性晚期前列腺癌患者,全部经手术去势及不同程度的抗雄激素药物治疗后病情缓解,之后病情再进展,经全身骨扫描证实12例有多发性骨转移灶,其中并有肝脏、双侧肾上腺和颅内转移各1例,血PSA进行性升高。用健择1000mg/m2加生理盐水(NS)100ml静脉滴注,第1、8天各一秦自科,等.健择加顺铂全身化疗治次;DDP100mg/m2加NS500ml静脉滴注第1天,或者DDP30mg+NS250ml静脉滴注第1～5天;每28天为一个疗程。结果:10例患者的血PSA值降至正常水平(<4ng/L),4例PSA值下降超过50%,1例PSA值变化不明显。化疗前12例有骨转移灶疼痛(按VRS分级Ⅰ级4例、Ⅱ级5例、Ⅲ级3例),化疗后9例疼痛消失,另3例仍有疼痛(Ⅰ级2例、Ⅱ级1例)。多发性颅内转移灶中最大转移瘤直径由化疗前的3.0cm缩小至0.5cm,化疗后面瘫症状消失。肝脏转移瘤由原先的10.2cm缩小至3.3cm。双侧肾上腺多发性转移瘤化疗后总的肿瘤体积缩小1/3以上。随访3～29个月,平均15.2个月,2例患者死亡,中位生存期14.7个月。平均疼痛缓解期为13.6个月。PSA值降低的平均稳定期为12.3个月。本组病例最常见     

A case of hormone/docetaxel-refractory prostate cancer in which PSA level decreased after docetaxel+zoledronic acid treatment

The patient was a 63-year-old man who had a recurrence and bone metastasis of prostate cancer after total prostatectomy. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer refractory to hormones. Subsequently, the PSA level decreased after docetaxel therapy, but then gradually increased. Thus, he was diagnosed with bone metastasis of prostate cancer refractory to therapy with hormones or docetaxel. The PSA level decreased after the start of therapy with docetaxel+ zoledronic acid. Zoledronic acid seems to be effective not only for the prevention but also for the treatment of skeletal related events(SRE)in patients with prostate cancer with bone metastases.     

Successful combination therapy with trastuzumab and paclitaxel for adriamycin- and docetaxel-resistant inflammatory breast cancer

We present a case of adriamycin-and docetaxel-resistant inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) in which partial response was achieved with combination therapy using trastuzumab and paclitaxel. A 48-year old woman noticed a lump in her right breast. She was diagnosed with IBC and the disease was staged as T4d N1 M0, stage III B. The patient was started on neoadjuvant chemotherapy with adriamycin (50 mg/m2) and docetaxel (60 mg/m2) administered every three weeks. Six courses were performed and the response was evaluated as no change. After one month, contralateral breast swelling indicated bilateral IBC. Bilatera1 mastectomy using the Halsted method was performed. The immunohistochemical results of the Hercep Test was strongly positive (3+). After the mastectomy, right pleural effusion appeared, and cytological examination revealed the cells to be classV(adenocarcinoma). To treat the clinically advanced breast cancer, combination therapy with trastuzumab (initially 4 mg/kg followed by two or more cycles of 2 mg/kg) and paclitaxel (80 mg/m2) were given intravenously every week for eight cycles and then every two weeks thereafter. A total of 32 courses of therapy were performed, the pleural effusion completely disappeared and partial response was maintained for a duration of 482 days. The adverse reactions were mild, and it was possible for her to be treated as an outpatient with high quality of life. This report suggests that weekly combination therapy of trastuzumab and paclitaxel was useful for treatment of adriamycin-and docetaxel-resistant metastatic breast cancer.     

A case report of long-term survival of endocrine cell carcinoma of the esophagus with chemo-radiation therapy

The patient was an 84-year-old man, who was diagnosed with cT3N2 (101L, 109L) M0, stage III esophageal cancer. The tumor, immunohistochemically, was stained positive for CD56 and NSE yielding a definitive diagnosis of endocrine cell carcinoma of the esophagus. We selected chemo-radiation therapy (5-FU/CDDP and 2 Gy/day total 60 Gy) for this patient. As adjuvant chemotherapy, 7 courses of chemotherapy with 5-FU/CDDP, was performed. At 8 months from the chemo-radiation therapy, the disease was diagnosed as cCR. But two years later, lung metastasis appeared, so we started chemotherapy with docetaxel/CDDP/5-FU. After 2 courses, lung metastasis was almost disappeared. He has been survived for four years and five months after chemo-radiation. This case suggests that chemo( FP) -radiation therapy and adjuvant chemotherapy could be an effective treatment for endocrine cell carcinoma of the esophagus.     

A patient with recurrent sigmoid colon cancer in whom pleural effusion and ascites resolved after FOLFOX 4 therapy

We performed combination therapy with oxaliplatin/l-LV/5-FU (FOLFOX 4) in a patient with recurrent colorectal cancer (a 58-year-old man) who had pleural effusion and ascites. This resulted in disappearance of the pleural effusion and ascites, as well as negative tumor markers. Surgery was performed for sigmoid colon cancer on September 29, 2004. In February 2006, abdominal swelling was observed, and CEA increased to 15 ng/mL with multiple intraabdominal tumor nodules. The patient was diagnosed as having peritonitis carcinomatosis associated with recurrent sigmoid colon cancer, and was treated with FOLFOX 4. CEA was 134.9 ng/mL before treatment, but became negative after six courses, while his pleural effusion and ascites disappeared after 10 courses of treatment. This treatment also appeared to be useful for recurrent colorectal cancer with peritoneal dissemination.     

A case report of advanced male breast cancer with an objective response to tamoxifen treatment

A 70-year-old man presented with a firm tumor in his right breast first noticed eight years ago.The tumor had enlarged gradually and had produced an ulcer with bleeding. On physical examination, a huge tumor entirely occupied the right breast and extensively had infiltrated the chest wall.Chest X-ray and CT showed massive pleural effusion and multiple small nodular lesions in the lung. Invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast was diagnosed by incisional biopsy,confirming advanced breast cancer with lung metastases and bilateral pleural effusion(T4cN2M1, Stage IV). Because ER and PgR levels were 110 fmol/mg and 190 fmol/mg, respectively, and because his general condition was poor, we selected medical treatment with tamoxifen(TAM). Thirty-two weeks later, the tumor had showed pronounced reduction with scarring. The patient underwent local excision of the scar tissue. The quality of life of the patient was favorably improved and no severe adverse events were observed. The tumor in the chest wall recurred two months after the end of TAM treatment, possibly because the patient did not accept continuous TAM therapy. The patient died from complications of brain metastasis 32 months after the start of TAM treatment. We report a rare case of advanced male breast cancer and on the effectiveness of continuous TAM treatment.     

Evaluation of the current incidence of nodal metastasis from prostate cancer

To determine the influences of transrectal ultrasonography, prostate-specific antigen (PSA), and heightened public awarencess of prostate cancer stage at diagnosis, we prospectively evaluated our most recent 173 patients who had a pelvic lymphadenectomy from 1987 to 1991. All patients had clinically localized prostate cancer and underwent bilateral limited pelvic lymph node dissections (N = 173); 19 (10.7%) were found to have nodal metastasis. Pathologic tumor stage and grade information was available for 168 patients who had a simultaneous radical prostatectomy. Clinical T-stage data revealed that only one patient had a T3 lesion. Pathologic T stage showed 7.1% to be T1a (12/168), 4.1% to be T1b (7/168), 13.7% to be T2a (23/168), 34.5% to be T2b (58/168), and 40.5% to be T3 lesions (68/168). Metastatic nodal involvement was not seen in any T1a, T1b, or T2a lesions. A Gleason's score of less than 5 lesions was predictive of no nodal metastasis. The clinical stage was upstaged pathologically in none of the T1a, 16.7% of the clinical T1b, 75% of the T2a, and 73% of the T2b, lesions. With regard to serum PSA, 27% of those patients with a level > 20 ng/ml had nodal metastasis (6/22) in this series. Although an elevated PSA was not predictive of tumor nodal metastasis, no patient with a normal PSA had nodal metastasis. Although the distribution of pathologic T stages is similar to that reported in the literature, our low incidence of nodal metastasis may suggest that prostate cancer is being diagnosed earlier. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

A case of castration-refractory prostate cancer showing marked decrease of serum PSA level after zoledronic acid treatment with estramustine phosphate and prednisolone

A 66-year-old man was referred to our outpatient clinic for an elevated serum prostatic-specific antigen (PSA 4,319 ng/ mL). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed multiple metastatic lesions in the bones. The patient had received androgen deprivation therapy, but six months after treatment, he was diagnosed as having prostate cancer refractory to hormones. Combined treatment with docetaxel (DOC 30 mg/m2/week )and estramustine phosphate (EMP 560 mg/day) was initiated as first-line chemotherapy, but the treatment was discontinued because of side effects. Then, treatment with zoledronic acid was started(4 mg/4 weeks)and the PSA level decreased dramatically from 457.2 ng/mL to 5.5 ng/mL. Seven months after the diagnosis of CRPC, MRI showed a decrease ofbone metastases, and the PSA levels continued to decrease, eventually reaching 0.3 ng/mL. Zoledronic acid appears to not only show efficacy in preventing skeletal-related events, but has a potential antitumor effect in patients with metastatic CRPC.     

Massive pleural effusion without bony involvement: an unusual presentation of advanced carcinoma prostate

As noted under the natural history, the bone of axial skeleton and the ileopelvic lymphnodes specially the obturator groups are the commonest sites of metastasis spread of cancer prostate. Visceral metastasis in the absence of the above is extremely rare. We present a 50-year-male patient of cancer prostate with pleural metastases, pleural effusion and lung collapse on right side. Bone scan was essentially normal. Bilateral orchiectomy was done. Pleural effusion subsided and PSA dropped to 1.4 ng/ml from the initial 120 ng/ml at three months. Patient is on regular follow-up at three monthly intervals and last PSA done at 9 months was 2.1 ng/ml.     

Eyelid Metastasis from Breast Cancer Showing Marked Response to Chemotherapy

A patient with recurrent breast cancer, who was diagnosed witheyelid metastasis as a part of systemic metastases and in whomsystemic chemotherapy was markedly effective, is reported. A50-year-old woman underwent a radical mastectomy for stage IIbreast cancer in October, 1988. Histologically, the tumor wasinvasive lobular carcinoma. In October, 1993, the patient consultedour hospital complaining primarily of swelling of the left eyelidand restriction of movement in the left eye. Metastasis frombreast cancer was diagnosed on eyelid biopsy. On further examination,metastases were detected in the liver, bone, orbit, peritoneumand pleura. Systemic combined chemotherapy consisting of cyclophosphamide,adriamycin and 5-fluorouracil was administered intravenouslyat intervals of three weeks. Complete responses were obtainedin the eyelid and peritoneal metastases after three courses,and in the liver metastasis after five courses. Partial responseswere also observed in the bone and pleural metastases. The incidenceof eyelid metastasis from breast cancer is very low, one caseonly having been previously reported in japan and 34 cases abroad.Most of these cases were treated locally by surgical resectionor radiotherapy, but the mean survival period was only 14 months,ranging from two months to four years. Eyelid metastasis frombreast cancer should be regarded as a manifestation of systemicspread of the tumor and, in principle, treated by systemic therapy     

Complete remission of hepatic metastasis of gastric cancer with CPT-11

We treated hepatic metastasis of gastric cancer with CPT-11 therapy and obtained complete remission of the hepatic tumor that has been maintained for than 2 years postoperatively. The patient was a 71-year-old man with a history of angina pectoris. In 1988, gastric cancer was diagnosed, and he underwent distal gastrectomy at another hospital. In 2003, the patient began to suffer from regurgitation symptoms and presented to our hospital in October of the year. Remnant gastric cancer was diagnosed as a result of detailed investigation. Preoperative imaging revealed the presence of a solitary tumor (6 cm in diameter) in the posterior lobe of the liver, and it was confirmed to be a hepatic metastasis from the remnant gastric cancer by needle biopsy. We decided to treat this metastasis with postoperative systemic chemotherapy. Total resection of the remnant stomach was done in November 2003 and oral S-1 therapy was started 3 weeks after surgery. When the response of the hepatic metastasis was evaluated after the completion of 3 courses, the tumor showed enlargement. Therefore, his chemotherapy was changed to CPT-11. After a total 900 mg of CPT-11 had been administered, imaging studies confirmed disappearance of the hepatic metastasis. The patient remains disease-free and has no impairment of daily activities 2 years after resection of the remnant stomach.     

Examination of the change in plasma concentration of OH-flutamide in low-dose flutamide (250 mg/day) monotherapy for prostate cancer patients

An examination of the change in plasma concentration of OH-flutamide in low-dose flutamide (250 mg/day) monotherapy for 5 prostate cancer patients was performed. We treated 5 patients diagnosed with prostate cancer between September and November 2002. The plasma concentrations of OH-flutamide, PSA and AST/ALT were measured before and after low-dose flutamide monotherapy was started. The plasma concentrations of OH-flutamide were stable in the third day after medication was started, and even when compared with the plasma concentrations of OH-flutamide 375 mg/day, there was no significant difference. Although at the observation period was short, PSA fell favorably in all patients. The AST/ALT were in the normal range in all patients. The low-does flutamide therapy has been one of medical treatments if its safety and effectiveness has been demonstrated.     

A case of advanced colon cancer with peritoneal dissemination effectively treated with modified FOLFOX6 chemotherapy

A 50-year-old woman was diagnosed with ascending colon cancer with bilateral ovarian metastases, carcinomatous peritonitis, and carcinomatous pleurisy. Nine courses of mFOLFOX6 treatment resulted in the disappearance of her ascites and pleural effusion and a marked decrease in her serum CEA and CA19-9 levels. Additionally, the primary tumor and ovarian metastases became smaller. Therefore, a right hemicolectomy with D3 lymph node dissection, total hysterectomy, and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy were performed. Postoperatively, we changed the chemotherapy from mFOLFOX6 to bevacizumab+FOLFIRI because the patient had an allergic reaction to oxaliplatin, and we suspected lung metastasis. Because the lung metastasis grew after ten courses of bevacizumab+FOLFIRI, we changed to cetuximab+FOLFIRI. Unfortunately, 28 months after her diagnosis, the patient died of carcinomatous pleurisy.     

Bilateral adrenal leiomyosarcoma treated with multiple local therapies

A 62-year-old woman presented with right flank pain, and computed tomography (CT) showed bilateral adrenal tumors (right, 8 cm; left, 4 cm). There were no abnormal findings on physical examination, and adrenal hormone levels in serum and urine were within normal limits. Radiological studies showed a right adrenal tumor with intratumoral hemorrhage, a cystic tumor in the left adrenal gland, and no sign of distant metastasis. Because laboratory tests showed normal levels of adrenal hormones, we considered the tumors to be nonfunctioning adrenal tumors. The right adrenal tumor was surgically removed because it was thought to be malignant, and histological examination revealed that it was a leiomyosarcoma. Postoperative CT showed a pleural metastasis in the right chest wall. The patient received combination chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide, vincristine, adriamycin, and dacarbazine. The metastasis was also treated with radiofrequency ablation (RFA). Because the left adrenal tumor grew rapidly despite two courses of the chemotherapy, it too was surgically removed. After the operation, metastasis in the right iliac bone was treated with RFA and radiotherapy. Positron emission tomography detected bilateral femoral metastases, and these were treated with radiotherapy in combination with a low dose of cisplatin. A liver metastasis and a small metastasis in the left kidney were treated with RFA and a metastasis in the pancreatic tail was removed surgically. Sixteen months after the right adrenalectomy, the patient died due to systemic spread of the disease. Multiple local treatments including RFA, radiotherapy, and resection were effective for the local control of metastatic lesions of adrenal leiomyosarcoma.     

A case of gastric cancer with bilateral ovarian metastasis after gastrectomy performed ovarian resection

The patient was a 51-year-old female, who underwent radical surgery for cancer of remnant stomach in May 2006 (f-T4N0M0P0H0CY0, por 2, Stage IIIA, Cur B). Bilateral ovarian resection was performed in March 2009 for bilateral ovarian metastasis, so called "Krukenberg tumor" with peritoneal dissemination detected with CT scan after one-year adjuvant chemotherapy with S-1 (80 mg/m2, 4 weeks on and 2 weeks off). As of June 2010, she is alive and maintain her status quo after 6 courses of S-1 plus CDDP combination therapy (S-1 80 mg/m2, 3 weeks on, CDDP 60 mg/m2, started at day 8, ended 35 days later) followed by S-1 for residual peritoneal dissemination detected at operation. In ovary metastasis of gastric cancer, even if accompanied by peritoneum metastasis, ovarian resection as a reduction surgery followed by chemotherapy may improve survival.