[Recrudescent prostate cancer with a low serum PSA level and a high serum CEA level treated with docetaxel : a case report]

A 63-year-old man was hospitalized with an increased serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) level (72 ng/ml). A prostate biopsy was performed, and histological examinations indicated moderately and poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma with positive staining for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). The patient was diagnosed as having prostate cancer (clinical stage : T3bN0M0) and received radiotherapy and hormonal therapy. Five years after the diagnosis, the serum CEA level increased to 153.8 ng/dl, and the patient complained of abdominal pain. His serum PSA level remained normal (<0.1 ng/dl). Computed topography indicated multiple bone metastasis and the involvement of multiple lymph glands. A biopsy of a cervical lymph gland revealed poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma with positive staining for CEA. Gastrointestinal examination showed no evidence of abnormality. The diagnosis of metastatic prostate cancer was made, and docetaxel (60-70 mg/m2) was administered. Eight courses of docetaxel therapy led to an approximately 20% reduction in lymph volume, and the serum CEA level decreased. However, liver metastases developed 12 months later, and the patient died at 18 months after the diagnosis of metastatic prostate cancer with a high serum CEA level. We encountered a case of recrudescence of prostate cancer positive for CEA with a low serum PSA level and report the effect of docetaxel therapy for atypical prostatic carcinoma.