A Case of Refractory Choriocarcinoma that Showed Complete Remission with Paclitaxel.

Cho, Yun Hyun; Kim, Mi Kyung; Jung, Sang In; Whang, Jong Yun; Cho, Ji Hyung; Kim, Young Tak; Nam, Joo Hyun

Obstet Gynecol Sci > Volume 45(6); 2002 > Article

Case Report

Korean Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology 2002;45(6):1097-1100.
Published online: June 1, 2002

A Case of Refractory Choriocarcinoma that Showed Complete Remission with Paclitaxel.

Yun Hyun Cho, Mi Kyung Kim, Sang In Jung, Jong Yun Whang, Ji Hyung Cho, Young Tak Kim, Joo Hyun Nam

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, University of Ulsan, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.

Abstract

High-risk gestational choriocarcinoma in patients who have failed primary chemotherapy is known to have a very poor prognosis. About 25% of high-risk metastatic choriocarcinoma become refractory to EMACO (etoposide, methotrexate, actinomycin D, cyclophosphamide and vincristine) and fail to achieve a complete remission. Currently, there is no standard salvage chemotherapeutic regimen for EMACO refractory choriocarcinoma. Paclitaxel, a taxane analog extracted from the bark of the western yew, has shown antitumor activity in a variety of cancers. However, there has been few case reports that described the effectiveness of paclitaxel to choriocarcinoma. We describe a 41-year old woman with refractory choriocarcinoma, who demonstrated dramatic response to paclitaxel treatment with a brief review of literature.

Keywords: Refractory choriocarcinoma; Chemotherpy; Paclitaxel