Abstract
Background. Pulmonary pleomorphic carcinoma is a rare tumor with a poor prognosis that is refractory to both chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Case. A 52-year-old male HIV carrier was admitted with right back pain and an abnormal chest X-ray. A radiogram revealed a large mass in the right lung field. The patient underwent bronchoscopy; however, the lesion remained undiagnosed. Chest computed tomography showed a 8.6-cm mass extending from the right upper lobe to the lower lobe of the lungs that had invaded the right posterior thoracic wall. A percutaneous CT-guided fine-needle biopsy was performed, which demonstrated pulmonary pleomorphic carcinoma in the specimen. The patient was clinically diagnosed with cT4N0M0 stage IIIA disease. Following initial treatment with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), the patient underwent 4 courses of carboplatin (CBDCA AUC 5), paclitaxel (PTX 200 mg/m2) and bevacizumab (Bev 15 mg/kg) combination therapy, thus demonstrating a partial response (reduction ratio: 50.5%). Subsequently, he was administered radiation therapy (60 Gy/30 Fr). He is currently being followed for 12 months after diagnosis. Conclusion. We herein report a case of pulmonary pleomorphic carcinoma and AIDS that was successfully treated with CBDCA, PTX and Bev combination therapy. This combination regimen is a safe and effective therapeutic option for treating pulmonary pleomorphic carcinoma associated with AIDS.
