[A case in which TS-1, an orally-administered 5-FU chemotherapeutic agent, showed marked effectiveness against scirrhous type gastric cancer with multiple organ metastases].

A 67-year-old woman with anorexia and weight loss was referred to our hospital with a diagnosis of type 4 gastric cancer. Since metastases to the liver, left adrenal gland, and Douglas' pouch were detected in addition to ascites and bilateral hydronephrosis, the tumor was judged unresectable and systemic chemotherapy with TS-1 was begun. Symptoms began to improve after the first course, and the patient was discharged and followed as an outpatient. An upper GI series showed improvement of the primary lesion, and cancer cells became undetectable under biopsy. At the end of the third course, computed tomography confirmed that metastases to the liver, the lymph nodes, and the adrenal gland had disappeared. The ascites diminished significantly, and hydronephrosis began to ameliorate. The effectiveness of the drug continued until the end of the eleventh course, and the patient is currently in her seventeenth month as an outpatient. This case shows the effectiveness of TS-1 against scirrhous type gastric cancer, a cancer generally considered resistant to chemotherapy. Furthermore, treatment on an outpatient basis has greatly improved her quality of life.