2010 Volume 50 Issue 4 Pages 347-352
Case. A 30-year-old man was pointed out in a mediastinal tumor. Needle biopsy was performed, but the diagnosis was not definitive. We judged there to be no operative indications, and chemotherapy with the CODE regimen (cisplatin, vincristine, doxorubicin, etoposide) was given. Four courses after chemotherapy had been completed, the tumor size had decreased 85% in maximum dimension on chest computed tomography (CT). Therefore, salvage surgery was performed via a median sternotomy. The resected specimen did not show any viable cells. Radiotherapy, of 2 Gy×25 Fr was administered postoperatively. The patient is alive and well 5 years after the operation. Conclusion. It is sometimes difficult to make histologic diagnosis in mediastinal tumors, and CODE therapy may be effective in such cases.
