Effective treatment of a patient with a high-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma with an accelerated regimen of carboplatin and paclitaxel.

The rarity of endometrial stromal sarcoma (ESS) and its poor response to treatment provides fertile ground for investigational therapies. An accelerated regimen of carboplatin and paclitaxel is investigated. A patient with a recent history of treated tuberculosis of the lung represented with infertility and acute abdominal pain from suspected fibroids, and underwent a laparotomy with a diagnosis of a high-grade ESS. A novel therapeutic approach using a regimen of carboplatin and paclitaxel with the reinfusion of filgrastim-mobilized peripheral blood progenitor cells is described. A partial response was observed following six cycles of chemotherapy. Grade IV thrombocytopenia occurred after the last cycle, with recovery prior to pelvic radiotherapy. The patient remained well 1 year post-diagnosis. High-grade ESS is responsive to combination chemotherapy with paclitaxel and carboplatin, and requires further evaluation. The use of an accelerated regimen may also have contributed to the response and this question awaits randomized trials.