[A case of lymph node recurrence of endocrine cell carcinoma of stomach effectively treated with carboplatin and etoposide].

We report a patient with lymph node recurrent endocrine cell carcinoma of the stomach who responded remarkably to carboplatin and etoposide chemotherapy. A 67-year-old woman underwent total gastrectomy under the diagnosis of poorly differentiated gastric carcinoma with esophagus and lymph node invasion. Adjuvant chemotherapy was not conducted because of the delay of postoperative recovery despite III b staging. Recurrence in thoracic paratracheal lymph node was diagnosed 6 months after surgery by follow-up CT scan. Carboplatin and etoposide were administrated for 4 months(6 courses of treatment), and complete response was obtained after 3 courses of treatment. The absence of recurrence was confirmed for 6 months after treatment. Although grade 4 neutropenia, grade 3 nausea and grade 2 vomiting were observed in first course of treatment, supportive therapy with G-CSF and aprepitant were useful for the continuity of treatment. Carboplatin and etoposide therapy may be one of the better candidates for stomach endocrine cell carcinoma in terms of its effects and tolerability, compared with a chemotherapy regimen combined with cisplatin.