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Primary gastric choriocarcinoma (PGC) is a rare tumor, and its pathogenesis is still uncertain. Most PGCs have been reported to possess an adenocarcinoma component of variable extent, and pure PGC is especially rare. The diagnosis of PGC is confirmed by exhibition of choriocarcinomatous components on biopsy and exhibition of β-hCG positive cell on immunohistochemical stain and elevation of the serum β-hCG. Moreover it must be confirmed that no other site including gonads displays any tumor masses. The PGC tends to be more invasive and to have early metastasis. The median survival is known to be less than several months. We report two cases. The first case was a 62 year-old man who was diagnosed as advanced gastric cancer (AGC) by endoscopic biopsy with hepatic metasasis and received palliative chemotherapy with modified FOLFOX regimen and Genexol plus cisplatin regimen. He underwent subtotal gastrectomy due to perforation of the stomach during chemotherapy. On post-operative biopsy, He was re-diagnosed as PGC and received another palliative chemotherapy modified FOLFIRI, BEP, EMACO, VIP. However, multiple liver metastases were aggravated, and also serum AFP level increased. Ultimately, the paient died 10 months after initial diagnosis. Another case was a 45 year-old man. On endoscopic biopsy, he was diagnosed as AGC of adenocarcinoma. On Chest and Abdomen CT, multiple pulmonary and hepatic metastasis were also confirmed. On liver biopsy, He was diagnosed as PGC. The immunohistochemical stains were performed and the results were cytokeratin positive, EMA negative and β-hCG weak positive. The serum β-hCG level was highly elevated. BEP, VIP and EMA/CO combination therapy were administered, but he died at 12th months after the initial diagnosis.
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The benefit of high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) for metastatic breast cancer (MBC) is controversial. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of HDC with cyclophosphamide, thiotepa, and carboplatin (CTCb) followed by autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT) for MBC patients.
From September 1994 to December 1999, 23 MBC patients were enrolled. All the patients received 2 to 10 cycles of induction chemotherapy. Before transplantation, 12 patients were in complete response (CR), nine were in partial response (PR), and two had progressive disease (PD). The HDC regimen consisted of cyclophosphamide 1,500 mg/m2/day, thiotepa 125 mg/m2/day and carboplatin 200 mg/m2/day intravenously for 4 consecutive days.
After ASCT, 13 patients (56%) had a CR, five (22%) had a PR, three (13%) had no change, while two (9%) showed a PD. Seventeen patients relapsed or progressed during the median follow-up of 78 months. The median progression-free survival (PFS) time was 11 months and the median overall survival (OS) time was 23 months. The 5-year PFS and OS rates were 22% and 25%, respectively. On the multivariate analyses, less than 4 involved lymph nodes was predictive of a better PFS and OS.
HDC with CTCb for MBC has acceptable toxicity; however, this treatment does not show a survival benefit.
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