Sequential methothrextate and 5-fruororacil therapy for diffuse bone metastasis from gastric cancer

We herein present a case of diffuse bone metastasis from early gastric cancer with disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) in a 40-year old man, who had undergone a curative gastrectomy and had no evidence of recurrence for five years after surgery. The patient was treated with an intravenous administration of sequential methothrexate (MTX) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), and demonstrated a favorable clinical course without any severe pain. Despite the fact that the presence of diffuse bone metastasis from gastric cancer plus hematologic disorders tends to indicate a significantly poor prognosis, the patient survived for a relatively long period (11 months) following chemotherapy. We thus conclude that MTX/5-FU sequential therapy seems to be a clinically useful regimen to improve both the symptoms and survival for cases of diffuse bone metastasis from gastric cancer.