The effectiveness of chemotherapy with cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil for recurrent small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the rectum: Report of a case

We report herein the case of a 46-year-old-man with small cell neuroendocri ne carcinoma (NEC) concomitant with large villous adenoma of the rectum, wh o underwent abdominoperineal resection with regional lymphnode dissection. The resected specimen was histologically found to contain a small lesion of NEC confined to the submucosa in the large adenoma. A computed tomography scan done 4 months postoperatively revealed recurrences in the liver, lymph nodes, and bone. Therefore, two cycles of sequential intravenous combined chemotherapy with standard doses of cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) wer e administered, after which the size of each tumor decreased remarkably. Ne vertheless, the patient died 8 months after the operation. As there was a f air response of this tumor to the combined chemotherapy of cisplatin and 5- FU, this regimen against NEC of the colon and rectum should be given consid eration.