[A case of metronomic chemotherapy as an alternative cancer therapy for palliation].

An 82-year-old woman underwent colostomy and standard chemotherapy using tegafur/uracil and calcium folinate under a diagnosis of colon cancer. Recurrence occurred, with pulmonary metastasis, hydroureter, and numbness in the low extremities. When admitted to our palliative care unit, she and her family wanted to have mild and minimally toxic chemotherapy. We initiated oral combination of UFT and cyclophosphamide metronomic chemotherapy. She was able to eat for more than 7 months. Her body weight was maintained, and tumor markers were kept suprressed until her death. This case suggests the usefulness of an oral anti-cancer drug low dose metronomic chemotherapy as an alternative cancer therapy in elderly cancer patients requiring palliation.