Use of oral dichloroacetate for palliation of leg pain arising from metastatic poorly differentiated carcinoma: a case report.

Dichloroacetate sodium (DCA) is a nonproprietary drug currently used for treatment of inherited mitochondrial diseases. It was discovered in 2007 that DCA promotes human cancer cell death by a novel mechanism. Soon after this discovery, physicians began using DCA off-label for cancer treatment in a palliative setting. A case report is presented of a 71-year-old male with poorly differentiated carcinoma of unknown primary metastatic to the right leg and liver who achieved excellent palliation of leg pain by using oral DCA after failing conventional therapy.