High-dose tamoxifen modulates drug resistance to doxorubicin, dacarbazine and ifosfamide in metastatic uterine leiomyosarcoma

Anticancer Res. 2003 Nov-Dec;23(6D):5133-7.

Abstract

A 46-year-old female patient suffered from uterine malignant leiomyosarcoma. Ten months after abdominal subtotal hysterectomy, multiple lung, bone and spine metastases developed. She received 3 cycles of infusional ADI chemotherapy (adriamycin 60 mg/m2, 96-hour i.v. infusion, dacarbazine 500 mg/m2, 96-hour i.v. infusion and ifosfamide 5,000 mg/m2, 72-hour i.v. infusion, repeated every 3 weeks), but the metastatic tumors progressed. An empirical ADI-TAM chemotherapy which incorporated high-dose tamoxifen (TAM) (150 mg/m2/day, in 4 divided doses) into the original ADI regimen was applied from the fourth cycle. High-dose tamoxifen consisted of 240 mg/day for 4 days during chemotherapy and 40 mg/day between cycles. Good partial response with nearly total tumor reduction was achieved after 3 cycles of ADI-TAM therapy. The excellent tumor response by simple addition of high-dose tamoxifen into a previously inactive ADI regimen advocates further investigation for the development of chemotherapy in metastatic uterine leiomyosarcoma.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / therapeutic use*
  • Dacarbazine / administration & dosage
  • Doxorubicin / administration & dosage
  • Drug Resistance, Neoplasm
  • Drug Synergism
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Ifosfamide / administration & dosage
  • Leiomyosarcoma / drug therapy*
  • Leiomyosarcoma / pathology
  • Leiomyosarcoma / surgery
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoplasm Metastasis
  • Tamoxifen / administration & dosage
  • Uterine Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Uterine Neoplasms / pathology
  • Uterine Neoplasms / surgery

Substances

  • Tamoxifen
  • Dacarbazine
  • Doxorubicin
  • Ifosfamide