A case report of a three-year survivor with advanced non-small cell lung cancer producing alpha-fetoprotein

An 80-year-old patient with poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma of the left lung with metastasis to both lungs and supraclavicular lymph nodes, stage III M1 (T2N2M1), was treated with cisplatin (cis-diamminedichloroplatinum, CDDP) at a dose of 80 mg/m2 intravenously. He achieved a partial response, however, he could not continue therapy with CDDP because of its renal toxicity. He was then given etoposide and vindesine as a single chemotherapeutic agent, but no response was observed. Therefore, CDDP was administered again in a fractionated regimen, the first course of treatment achieved a minor response, but the second course resulted in stable disease. He therefore received combination chemotherapy consisting of mitomycin, vindesine and CDDP, and tumor regression of more than 30% was observed after one course of this combination chemotherapy. After three years from the initiation of chemotherapy, he had no symptoms except for hoarseness, and has been followed up on an ambulatory basis. In addition, the tumor was producing alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), which was shown by immunohistochemical staining with polyclonal antibody against AFP. The changes in serum AFP level correlated well with the disease status.