[Successful treatment of a pretreated elderly case of small-cell lung carcinoma with continuous five-day intravenous infusion of cisplatin plus etoposide].

A 78-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with dyspnea in June 1988, and diagnosed as having small-cell lung carcinoma by cytological findings of pleural effusion. He was treated three times with CAV (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine) therapy and a partial response was achieved. In March 1989, he was again admitted complaining of right dull hypochondralgia accompanied by enlargement of primary tumor in the right lower lobe of the lung and metastases to mediastinal and intraabdominal lymph nodes. Because it was an aged and recurrent case, he was treated with continuous five-day infusion of etoposide, 30 mg/m2/day and CDDP, 18.5 mg/m2/day. After the second course, subjective symptoms clearly disappeared and swelling of mediastinal and intraabdominal lymph nodes was markedly reduced on computed tomography. No severe side effects except for moderate myelosuppression, alopecia and nausea were observed. This regimen appears useful in the treatment of small-cell lung carcinoma in elderly patients.