[An elderly patient with non-resectable lung cancer responding to TS-1]

A 76-year-old man had complained of hoarseness, productive cough and left chest pain in June 2005. Chest radiograph and computed tomography showed a tumor 7.5x5 cm in size which contacted the aortic arch, some nodules in left upper lobe and right lower lobe of lung and left pleural effusion. The broncho-fiberscopic biopsy histologically proved the tumor to be moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma in the left upper lobe of lung. The patient was diagnosed as a non-resectable lung cancer with clinical stage IV (c-T4N2M1). In July 2005, he was treated with oral administration of TS-1 (120 mg/day) and Jyu-zen daiho toh (7.5 g/day). After one week, he complained of grade 2 leukopenia and grade 1 skin rash. Then TS-1 was reduced to 100 mg/day. After this modulation of the treatment, he could take TS-1 and Jyu-zen daiho toh days 1-14, every 3 weeks. The patient then received 17 courses until June 2006. The left pleural effusion and left chest pain disappeared only 2 weeks after taking TS-1. In June of 2006, central necrosis of the left lung tumor was confirmed by positron emission computed tomography. No serious adverse effect was observed, and the patient maintained good quality of life. This case suggests that TS-1 with Jyu-zen daiho toh may be an effective treatment for elderly advanced lung cancer.