Complete response to FOLFOX4 therapy in a patient with advanced urothelial cancer: a case report

J Hematol Oncol. 2010 Jan 20:3:4. doi: 10.1186/1756-8722-3-4.

Abstract

No standard has been established for salvage therapy in gemcitabine refractory advanced urothelial cancer. We report the complete response to FOLFOX4 therapy of a metastatic urothelial cancer patient, for whom adjuvant gemcitabine plus cisplatin combination chemotherapy had failed. A 54-year-old male patient with urothelial cancer (transitional cell carcinoma) in the right kidney underwent three rounds of adjuvant gemcitabine-cisplatin chemotherapy after extensive radical nephrectomy. However, he had new liver, lung metastases and synchronous two separate primary colon cancer. The lung metastasis lesion was confirmed as a metastatic urothelial cancer via percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy (PTNB). Liver and lung metastasis lesions disappeared after the 4th cycle of FOLFOX4 chemotherapy. In addition, colon cancer also disappeared after the 8th cycle of FOLFOX4 chemotherapy. The patient was still showing a complete response after 4 months. Clinical trials using the FOLFOX regimen as salvage therapy for gemcitabine-refractory advanced urothelial cancer are warranted.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / therapeutic use*
  • Carcinoma, Transitional Cell / drug therapy*
  • Carcinoma, Transitional Cell / pathology
  • Disease Progression
  • Fluorouracil / therapeutic use
  • Humans
  • Leucovorin / therapeutic use
  • Lung Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Lung Neoplasms / secondary
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoplasm Invasiveness
  • Organoplatinum Compounds / therapeutic use
  • Remission Induction / methods
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Urologic Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Urologic Neoplasms / pathology
  • Urothelium / drug effects
  • Urothelium / pathology

Substances

  • Organoplatinum Compounds
  • Leucovorin
  • Fluorouracil

Supplementary concepts

  • Folfox protocol