Abstract
Pancreatic cancer is a highly aggressive cancer with poor prognosis. Although, gemcitabine is the current standard regimen as first-line chemotherapy for advanced pancreatic cancer, effective regimens of second-line chemotherapy after gemcitabine failure have not been established yet. We report a case of gemcitabine refractory pancreatic cancer treated with second-line chemotherapy with FOLFIRINOX regimen. A 57-year-old-woman visited our hospital for pancreatic body mass detected by computed tomography (CT). The patient underwent distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy and the pathologic results after surgery demonstrated adenocarcinoma. Follow-up was performed after surgery and CT and positron emission tomography (PET) 4 months after surgery revealed multiple hepatic metastases. The patient underwent first-line chemotherapy with gemcitabine and erlotinib for recurred pancreatic cancer. However, CT after 7 cycles of the chemotherapy showed the progression of multiple hepatic metastases and switch to second-line chemotherapy with FOLFIRINOX was initiated. CT after 16 cycles of the FOLFIRINOX showed the complete remission of multiple hepatic metastases. The patient was admitted for infective endocarditis with septic pneumonia 17 months after the initiation of FOLFIRINOX. However, the patients died from the progression of septic embolism and acute respiratory distress syndrome.
췌장암은 예후가 매우 불량한 암으로 gemcitabine을 근간으로 하는 항암화학요법이 진행성 췌장암에 대한 표준치료이지만, 이러한 일차 항암화학요법에 반응이 없을 경우의 이차 항암화학요법에 대해서는 아직까지 정립된 것이 없는 상태이다. FOLFIRINOX 병합용법은 최근 여러 연구에서 일차 항암화학요법으로서의 치료 효과가 보고되고 있고, gemcitabine 항암화학요법에 반응이 없는 진행성 췌장암에 대한 이차 항암화학요법으로도 시도되어 양호한 치료 효과가 보고되고 있다. 저자들은 gemcitabine을 근간으로 하는 병합요법에 대해 반응이 없는 진행성 췌장암 환자에 대한 이차 항암화학요법으로 FOLFIRINOX 병합요법을 시행하여 완전 관해를 획득한 증례를 문헌고찰과 함께 보고하는 바이다.