ABSTRACT
Neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC), also called small cell carcinoma or large cell carcinoma, is a rare and aggressive tumor that develops mainly in the lung and intestine. More rarely, NEC develops in gynecologic organs, with poor prognoses. We experienced a case of NEC in the broad ligament of the uterus. The patient was a 74-year-old woman with symptoms of abdominal distension and constipation. Ultrasound sonography detected an abdominal tumor larger than 10 cm. She was then admitted to our hospital. She underwent surgery under the diagnosis of ovarian cancer, but the bilateral ovaries and uterus were normal in appearance, and a tumor was developing instead from the broad ligament of the uterus. The patient then received a hysterectomy, salpingo-oophorectomies, and lymphadenectomy, and the peritoneal membrane was stripped around the pelvic space. Despite our suggestion, she never accepted the adjuvant treatment. She discontinued her periodic follow-up with and was followed in another hospital. Generally, the prognosis of NEC is poor, and there is no established treatment for a tumor in a gynecologic lesion. However, we anticipate that the accumulation of experience treating such cases will eventually lead to a standard treatment for NEC.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Olanzapine is effective in chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). In patients receiving highly emetogenic chemotherapy (HEC), its efficacy was reported as rescue therapy for breakthrough emesis refractory to triplet therapy (palonosetron, aprepitant, and dexamethasone). However, its preventive effects with triplet therapy for CINV are unknown. This study aimed to investigate efficacy and safety of preventive use of olanzapine with triplet therapy for CINV of HEC. METHODS: This study is a prospective multicenter study conducted by Kansai Clinical Oncology Group. Forty chemo-naïve gynecological cancer patients receiving HEC with cisplatin (≥50 mg/m(2)) were enrolled. Oral olanzapine (5 mg) was administered with triplet therapy a day prior to cisplatin administration and on days 1-5. The primary endpoint was complete response (no vomiting and no rescue) rate for the overall phase (0-120 h post-chemotherapy). Secondary endpoints were complete response rate for acute phase (0-24 h post-chemotherapy) and delayed phase (24-120 h post-chemotherapy) and complete control (no vomiting, no rescue, and no significant nausea) rate and total control (no vomiting, no rescue, and no nausea) rate for each phase. These endpoints were evaluated during the first cycle of chemotherapy. RESULTS: Complete response rates for acute, delayed, and overall phases were 97.5, 95.0, and 92.5 %, respectively. Complete control rates were 92.5, 87.5, and 82.5 %, respectively. Total control rates were 87.5, 67.5, and 67.5 %, respectively. There were no grade 3 or 4 adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Preventive use of olanzapine combined with triplet therapy gives better results than those from previously reported studies of triplet therapy.