A case of recurrent cholangiocarcinoma responding to weekly paclitaxel

A 72-year-old male underwent right hepatic lobectomy and pancreatoduodenectomy due to extrahepatic bile duct cancer in October 2007, and multiple lung metastases were later detected by CT three months after surgery. We started treatment with administration of S-1 at 100mg/body. The CT at the end of the five courses revealed the progression of the lung metastases. Therefore we tried GEM at 1, 600 mg/body. After six courses, CT revealed more progression of the recurrent tumors. We then changed the chemotherapy menu to weekly PTX at 130 mg/body. Three courses after the chemotherapy of PTX, CT showed remarkable regression of multiple lung metastases, and the serum levels of tumor marker CA19-9 were also reduced to within the normal range. This remarkable regression of metastases has been maintained for 6 months.