The effectiveness of a combination of etoposide/adriamycin/cisplatin (EAP) against inoperable gastric cancer--report of a histologically proven case.

We report herein, the histological observations taken at initial laparotomy from a 55 year old man with unresectable gastric cancer who responded almost completely to chemotherapy with Etoposide/Adriamycin/Cisplatin (EAP). The patient underwent a second operation after 2 cycles of EAP therapy and the stomach and adjacent lymph nodes were successfully resected. Histologic findings showed that cancer cells in the main tumor including the site of direct invasion had completely disappeared and been replaced by regenerated mucosa. The metastatic lymph node tumor was also partially killed, as indicated by a cluster of viable cancer cells which was divided by a strip of necrotic tissue. These findings led us to conclude that EAP therapy was remarkably effective for the patient.