[Improved quality of life in a patient with Borrmann type 4 gastric cancer treated with combination chemotherapy].

A 49-year-old nursery school teacher noticed epigastric discomfort and loss of appetite, and was hospitalized for diagnosis and treatment on Dec. 19, 1984. She was diagnosed to have Borrmann type 4 gastric cancer with Schnitzler's metastasis. After one month's administration of UFTM-O (UFT, mitomycin C, OK-432) subjective symptoms disappeared and improvement of the gastric lesion was demonstrated 2 months later. On Apr. 4, 1985 she was able to return to work, receiving UFTM-O therapy for one year as an outpatient. When ascites appeared in October, UFTM-O was discontinued and a single intraperitoneal administration of cis-platinum was done for peritoneal effusion. Another combination chemotherapy consisting of MTX, 5-FU and OK-432 was started, but she died 3 months later. In consequence, she had been able to live 18 months from the initial diagnosis. Moreover, she was able to enjoy a high quality of life, which meant she was able to return to her work and travel abroad, during the initial two-thirds of the disease period.