[State III large cell carcinoma of the lung cured by radiotherapy--a case report]

Presented is the case of a 61-year-old male whose chief complaints were hoarseness, cough, and bloody sputum. Chest radiography demonstrated a left hilar mass with mediastinal widening, a peripheral localized infiltrate and the elevation of the left hemidiaphragm. By means of a mediastinoscopy, a biopsy was done on the enlarged mediastinal lymph node and a histological diagnosis of a large cell carcinoma was confirmed. He was graded as in Stage III (T2N2M0) and was placed under radiotherapy with 60Co. Complete response was obtained after a total dose of 6150 cGy. Following this radiotherapy, he was given multiple courses of mild chemotherapy and the disease as of this report has been under control for 7 years. This case may be unusual, but suggests the possibility of a cure of lung cancer by irradiation under certain conditions.