A 59-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for the treatment of
gastric cancer with synchronous and multiple metastatic liver
tumors. After total
gastrectomy in February 2005, partial resection of the posterior segment of the liver was carried out in the next month. Pathological study of both the resected specimens showed moderately differentiated
adenocarcinoma. The postoperative treatment with S-1 was initiated without any evidence of recurrence. However, CT scans showed recurrent multiple liver
tumors after 4 courses of treatment with S-1. Subsequently, a
combination chemotherapy of S-1 (80 mg/m(2) over day 1-14 with a 2-week rest) and
paclitaxel (PTX) (120 mg/m(2), day 1 and 15) was applied. After 3 courses, CT scans showed reduced liver
metastases, judged as a partial response(PR)on Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST). However, metastatic liver
tumors showed progressive disease (PD) after 7 courses of treatment. The treatment was changed to
combination chemotherapy with S-1 (80 mg/m(2) over day 1-21 with a 2-week rest) and
CPT-11 (80 mg/m(2) day, day 1 and 15) for 6 courses, but the legions showed PD. He was then treated with combined
chemotherapy with S-1 (70 mg/m(2) over day 1-14 with a 1-week rest)and
cisplatin (CDDP) (10 mg/m(2), day 1 and 8). However, his condition became worse and he was treated at the
palliative care unit. There were no adverse effects greater than grade 4 throughout the treatment period, and his treatment was continued as an outpatient for more than two years. This case suggests that after failure of S-1
therapy,
S-1 combination chemotherapy might be an effective treatment for recurrent
gastric cancer.