Complete disappearance of metastatic abdominal tumors from gastric cancer after treatment with irsogladine maleate

Summary

A 60-year-old woman with gastric cancer had undergone partial gastrectomy in September 1989. Pathological examination revealed a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma of pT3pN3pM0 (not resected for cure), stage IV. Postoperative adjuvant therapy comprised 1-(tetrahydro-2-furanyl)-5-fluorouracil plus uracil and OK-432. On 11 August 1990, two forefinger-tip-sized tumors were palpated beneath the operation scar. They increase in size, the superior tumor reaching 4×3 cm, the inferior tumor 5×3 cm on 5 September. Then, on 17 September, the inferior tumor was resected but the superior tumor remained; the histological type was poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. After the operation, from 20 September, she was given 4 mg irsogladine maleate orally every day. On 8 October, there was no increase in the size of the superior tumor. By 29 October, the superior tumor had disappeared and no further tumor appeared thereafter; the patient showed no sign of relapse.