Successful S-1 monotherapy for chemorefractory thymic carcinoma.

The optimal chemotherapeutic regimen for inoperable thymic carcinoma remains uncertain and little information is available regarding the usefulness of salvage chemotherapy. S-1, a newly developed oral fluorouracil antitumor drug, has been reported to be effective in the treatment of gastrointestinal tumors and non-small cell lung cancer. This case study reports a case of chemorefractory thymic cancer with a good response to S-1 monotherapy. S-1 was used as sixth-line chemotherapy and the response was the first remarkable tumor regression in the patient's clinical course. S-1 appears to have significant activity against thymic carcinoma.