A case of hepatocellular carcinoma with multiple lung, spleen, and remnant liver metastasis successfully treated by combination chemotherapy with the novel oral DPD-inhibiting chemotherapeutic drug S-1 and interferon-alpha

J Gastroenterol. 2006 Nov;41(11):1120-5. doi: 10.1007/s00535-006-1907-x. Epub 2006 Dec 8.

Abstract

A 54-year-old man was admitted Osaka University Hospital for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with portal vein thrombus and multiple intrahepatic metastases that extended to the bilateral lobes of the liver. He underwent multimodal therapy, including extended left lobectomy followed by intra-arterial 5-fluorourcil (5-FU) infusion chemotherapy combined with subcutaneous interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) to treat the lesions in the residual liver. Seven months after the initial resection, recurrent tumors in the spleen, lung, and residual liver were detected by follow-up examination. We started a new regimen of per oral administration of S-1 and subcutaneous IFN-alpha injection, because the combined therapy with intra-arterial 5-FU infusion was not considered effective for distant metastases. After two cycles of S-1 and IFN-alpha, the metastatic tumor in the spleen and the recurrence in the residual liver had disappeared, and the diagnosis was complete remission with no adverse effect; the pulmonary metastasis showed a partial response, and was finally resected. This patient is still alive with no recurrence 32 months after initial hepatic resection. This outcome suggests that combination therapy with S-1 and IFN-alpha may be a promising treatment modality against advanced HCC with distant metastasis.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Administration, Oral
  • Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / administration & dosage
  • Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / therapeutic use
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / diagnosis
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / drug therapy*
  • Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / secondary
  • Dihydrouracil Dehydrogenase (NADP) / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Dihydrouracil Dehydrogenase (NADP) / blood
  • Drug Combinations
  • Drug Therapy, Combination
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Hepatectomy
  • Humans
  • Immunologic Factors / administration & dosage
  • Immunologic Factors / therapeutic use
  • Injections, Subcutaneous
  • Interferon-alpha / administration & dosage
  • Interferon-alpha / therapeutic use*
  • Liver Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Liver Neoplasms / pathology
  • Liver Neoplasms / surgery
  • Lung Neoplasms / diagnosis
  • Lung Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Lung Neoplasms / secondary
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / drug therapy
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / enzymology
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / pathology
  • Oxonic Acid / administration & dosage
  • Oxonic Acid / therapeutic use*
  • Splenic Neoplasms / diagnosis
  • Splenic Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Splenic Neoplasms / secondary
  • Tegafur / administration & dosage
  • Tegafur / therapeutic use*
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Substances

  • Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic
  • Drug Combinations
  • Immunologic Factors
  • Interferon-alpha
  • S 1 (combination)
  • Tegafur
  • Oxonic Acid
  • Dihydrouracil Dehydrogenase (NADP)