taxane and Adenocarcinoma--Scirrhous

A 53-year-old woman presented with an advanced right breast cancer together with skin manifestations and massive axillary lymph node metastases, as well as distant metastases in the lung and the liver. The patient received surgery after 6 courses of chemotherapy with epirubicine and intravenous cyclophosphamide (80/600 mg/m2). A weekly paclitaxel regimen (80 mg/m2) was started because the tumor markers increased soon after surgery. Despite chemotherapy, no response was confirmed, then weekly docetaxel (35 mg/m2) was started. Although the tumor markers decreased after administration of docetaxel, severe liver disfunction appeared and did not improve after cessation of docetaxel. Computed tomography (CT) revealed numerous metastatic nodules in the bilateral lobes of the liver. UFT (400 mg/day) and cyclophosphamide (100 mg/day) were administered for 4 weeks followed by 2 weeks cessation and then combined with continuous medroxyprogesterone acetate (800 mg/day). Liver function tests were normalized 3 months after, and the massive metastatic liver tumors disappeared completely. Lung metastasis also subsided. In spite of these good responses, tumor markers did not normalize and skin nodules appeared around the surgical site. Administration was stopped 36 weeks after initiation of the treatment.

Topics: Adenocarcinoma, Scirrhous; Administration, Oral; Anthracyclines; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Breast Neoplasms; Bridged-Ring Compounds; Cyclophosphamide; Drug Administration Schedule; Drug Combinations; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; Female; Humans; Liver Neoplasms; Medroxyprogesterone Acetate; Middle Aged; Taxoids; Tegafur; Uracil