The marked anticancer effect of combined VCR, MTX, and indomethacin against drug-resistant recurrent small cell lung carcinoma after conventional chemotherapy: report of a case.

In a previous study, we discovered that indomethacin was an effective modulator of the sensitivity of pulmonary carcinoma cells to vincristine (VCR), methotrexate (MTX), adriamycin (ADR), and etoposide (VP-16). We describe herein the case of a 61-year-old-man with multiple brain, lung, liver, and bone metastases from small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) that recurred after intensive chemotherapy, who showed no signs of remission following conventional chemotherapy. The general condition of the patient deteriorated until he required morphine sulfate to control his severe diffuse pain. In an attempt to improve this patient's quality of life (QOL), he was discharged from hospital and treated at the outpatient clinic with modulation therapy using indomethacin as an anodyne instead of morphine sulfate. Signs of almost complete remission to only one cycle of combination therapy with VCR, MTX, and indomethacin were observed without any obvious adverse effects. This case report serves to demonstrate that modulation therapy combined with VCR, MTX, and indomethacin may be useful in the treatment of patients with drug-resistant recurrent SCLC.