Validity of local treatment including intraarterial infusion chemotherapy and radiotherapy for fungating adenocarcinoma of the breast - Case report of more than 8-year survival

A 39-year-old woman came to us complaining of severe anemia (hemoglobin: 2. 3 g/dl) and a painful right breast that was entirely occupied by an ulcerat ive, foul-smelling tumor approximately 20 cm in maximum dimension. The tumo r, which was determined to be mucinous adenocarcinoma at biopsy, had invade d the chest wall with multiple lung metastases (T4cN2M1 stage IV). After a blood transfusion, the patient received the following multimodal treatment: concurrent chemoradiotherapy (50 Gy), intraarterial infusion chemotherapy consisting of doxorubicin 50 mg, mitomycin-C 10 mg, and cisplatin 50 mg and skin graft surgery. After intraarterial infusion chemotherapy, the fungati ng tumor disappeared. The patient experienced a relapse of right pleural ef fusion 2 years later and received multimodal treatment. Now, March 30, 2000 , the patient is doing well without local recurrence, 8 years after her fir st admission. The combination of intraarterial infusion chemotherapy and ra diotherapy plays a role in successful treatment of extensive local disease of the breast.