A Case of Lung Adenocarcinoma with Marked Improvement of Pulmonary Lymphangitic Carcinomatosis by Adding Bevacizumab to Cisplatin and Pemetrexed

• Published in: Case reports in oncology Vol. 10; no. 3; pp. 1065 - 1069
• Main Authors: Natsume, Maika, Honda, Takeshi, Haruyama, Terunobu, Ishihara, Masashi, Fukasawa, Yoko, Sakamoto, Takahiko, Tanzawa, Shigeru, Usui, Ryo, Ota, Shuji, Ichikawa, Yasuko, Watanabe, Kiyotaka, Seki, Nobuhiko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel, Switzerland S. Karger AG 27.11.2017; Karger Publishers
• Subjects: Angiogenesis; Bevacizumab; Cancer therapies; Case Report; Case reports; Cell growth; Chemotherapy; Family medical history; Immunotherapy; Lung cancer; Lymphatic system; Medical prognosis; Metastasis; Monoclonal antibodies; Pulmonary lymphangitic carcinomatosis; Targeted cancer therapy; Vascular endothelial growth factor; Pulmonary lymphangitic carcinomatosis; Lung cancer; Bevacizumab
• ISSN: 1662-6575; 1662-6575
• DOI: 10.1159/000484662

A 40-year-old man with a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma (cT4N3M1c, stage IVB) experienced worsening of lymphangitic carcinomatosis in the right lung and right pleural effusion after receiving 1 cycle of first-line chemotherapy consisting of cisplatin and pemetrexed. Bevacizumab was thus added from the second cycle of the cisplatin-pemetrexed regimen, leading to a marked improvement in pulmonary lymphangitic carcinomatosis and a decrease in pleural effusion. Subsequently, maintenance therapy consisting of pemetrexed and bevacizumab was continued, successfully leading to long-term progression-free survival. Generally, pulmonary lymphangitic carcinomatosis shows poor prognosis because of poor response to chemotherapy. However, recent studies have been elucidating the role of the vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A)/VEGF receptor-2 pathway in pulmonary lymphangitic carcinomatosis. Therefore, bevacizumab is expected to be beneficial in the treatment of this pathological condition.