A case of recurrent colon cancer with urinary bladder, para-aortic lymph nodes, and spleen metastases successfully treated with CPT-11

The patient was a 71-year-old woman with sigmoid colon cancer with urinary bladder invasion, for which sigmoidectomy with D 3 lymphadenectomy and partial cystectomy was performed. After surgery, the patient was started on 4 courses of 6-week systemic chemotherapy (500 mg/m(2) 5-FU and 200 mg/m(2) l-LV weekly). However, 4 months later, CT revealed local recurrence in the urinary bladder and recurrence in the para-aortic lymph nodes and spleen. Therefore, low-dose CPT-11 therapy (40 mg/m(2) once per week) was instituted, which achieved a complete response as revealed by CT for response evaluation 5 months after the start of therapy. Up to the present, after 8 months no recrudescence or recurrent lesions in other organs have been observed. The patient developed mild side effects such as grade 1 nausea, anorexia, and leukopenia, but has a well-maintained QOL.