Weekly paclitaxel therapy is effective for gastric adenosquamous carcinoma: a case report.

A 65-year-old man was admitted for epigastralgia. On endoscopy, a type 3 cancer from the lower body of the stomach to the antrum was found, and abdominal CT scan demonstrated multiple liver metastases and peritoneal dissemination. A distal gastorectomy was performed. On, pathological examination, a diagnosis of adenosquamous carcinoma was confirmed, and lymph node metastases around the perigastric areas were found. The patient was given chemotherapy consisting of S-1 alone (120 mg/day, days 1-28 with two weeks rest). After two courses of chemotherapy, his liver metastases were found to have progressed, and paclitaxel was given at a weekly dose of 80 mg/m2 for 3 weeks, followed by a one-week rest. The carcinoembryonic antigen level decreased remarkably, and the liver metastases had decreased on CT. Thus, extensive chemotherapy for the liver metastases improved the patient's prognosis, while maintaining his quality of life.