Combination chemotherapy with mitomycin C and cisplatin for advanced gastric cancer with multiple liver metastases

A patient with advanced gastric cancer with multiple liver metastases was treated by reduction surgery at the primary site as well as by the intraarterial administration of mitomycin C (MMC) and cisplatin (CDDP) through a reservoir catheter inserted into the proper hepatic artery. After a palliative subtotal gastrectomy, MMC 8 mg/m2 was administered intraarterially (i.a.) followed by the administration of CDDP 80 or 40 mg/m2 i.a. with an interval of less than 1 week. After the completion of five courses of this regimen, a complete reduction of the hepatic tumors was achieved, while the level of serum carcinoembryonic antigen decreased to the normal range. The patient is currently alive with signs of disease recurrence at 17 months after initial diagnosis, while additional therapy with MMC + CDDP was continuously undergone until 17 months' after initial diagnosis with various interval. Although thrombocytopenia occurred during the treatment, it resolved within a few weeks after completing the combination chemotherapy without any specific treatment. The present case showed a better prognosis than we had expected, which suggested that combination chemotherapy with MMC and CDDP might thus be clinically useful because of its excellent antitumor activity and low toxicity.