[Effective and low toxicity chemoradiotherapy for distant metastatic esophageal cancer]

A sixty-seven-year-old male who had T4N4M1 (stage IV) advanced esophageal cancer with bilateral pulmonary and multiple lymph-node metastases received 1-hr drip intravenous infusions of low-dose cisplatin (CDDP) at 7 mg/m2 on Days 1-5, 8-12, 15-19, and 22-26, protracted intravenous infusions of 5-fluorouracil at 200 mg/m2 on Days 1-28, and X-ray therapy of 2 gray/fraction x 5 fractions/week (total 40 Gy; LDFPX therapy). XRT was also administered alone (total 60 Gy). After 1 course of LDFPX therapy, the primary and multiple lymph node metastases responded completely. The bilateral pulmonary metastases were remarkably reduced in size and performance status improved. After that we tried low dose CDDP 10 mg/body twice a week and UFT 600 mg/body (LDP + UFT therapy) on an outpatient basis. Especially, bilateral pulmonary metastases were more reducing tumor size by LDP + UFT therapy. These treatments had a therapeutic effect and very low toxicity. This chemotherapy is thought to be effective against advanced esophageal cancer.