A case of early relapsed multiple lung metastases after esophagectomy successfully treated with S-1/cisplatin therapy after docetaxel/5-fluorouracil/cisplatin therapy

A 55-year-old-male patient underwent subtotal esophagectomy for esophageal cancer (pT1b, N0, M0, stage II) in April 2005. The patient received postoperative chemotherapy (docetaxel 40 mg/body, 5-fluorouracil 750 mg/body, cisplatin 10 mg/body : administered every 4 weeks) for 3 months. Six months postoperatively, routine follow up CT demonstrated multiple metastatic tumors in the bilateral lungs. Under the diagnosis of multiple lung metastases, the patient was hospitalized and received intensive chemotherapy with docetaxel 40 mg/ week (day 1), 5-fluorouracil 500 mg/ day (days 1-5), cisplatin 10 mg/ day (days 1-5). After two weeks administration, the patient eagerly hoped for outpatient treatment. The treatment was changed to outpatient chemotherapy with S-1 100 mg/ day (continuous administration for 3 weeks followed by rest for 1 week) and cisplatin 20 mg/ every week. The treatment enabled the patient to keep working. Follow up CT showed disappearance of all tumors two months after TS-1/cisplatin chemotherapy. There were no obvious signs of recurrence 5 months after chemotherapy. The S-1/cisplatin therapy in the outpatient was thought to be one of the effective treatments in maintaining quality of life for the patient.