Gastric Small Cell Carcinoma That Showed Complete Response to Irinotecan+Cisplatin Chemotherapy Treatment –A Case Report

Generally, clinical outcome of gastric small cell carcinoma is extremely poor. In this paper, we report a case of a patient with gastric small cell carcinoma who completely responded to chemotherapy and showed a long survival without recurrence. A 56-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with symptoms of weight loss and a large mass in the upper abdomen. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy revealed a large tumor located in the posterior wall of the antrum of the stomach. Computed tomography revealed a large mass involving the stomach with regional lymph node metastasis and direct pancreatic invasion. Pathological and immunohistochemical analyses indicated a diagnosis of primary gastric small cell carcinoma. Curative resection was not considered likely, and hence, a combination chemotherapy consisting of irinotecan and cisplatin was administered. Following 4 cycles of chemotherapy, complete remission was confirmed. The treatment was stopped after 9 cycles as per the patient's request. The patient survived for more than 8 year without recurrence since the first diagnosis of cancer. This case suggests that combination chemotherapy with irinotecan and cisplatin, which is recognized as one of the standard regimens for small cell carcinoma of the lung, can provide clinical benefits for patients with gastric small cell carcinoma.