A 70-year-old woman presented to our hospital with diarrhea. Although colonoscopy was normal, gastroscopy revealed a centrally depressed protruding lesion in the second portion of the duodenum. Biopsy showed a tubular adenocarcinoma, leading to a diagnosis of duodenal carcinoma. Secondary to liver metastasis, she underwent chemotherapy with 26 courses of 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin (mFOLFOX6), 4 of modified irinotecan and infusional 5-fluorouracil, and 4 of weekly paclitaxel administration. During mFOLFOX6 administration, endoscopy revealed complete remission of the duodenal lesion, and a biopsy specimen tested negative for malignancy. She survived over 29 weeks after the initial diagnosis.
We report successfully using optimal chemotherapy to treat a patient with duodenal carcinoma. Whether duodenal cancer shares biological characteristics with stomach or colon cancer remains controversial; however, establishing optimal regimens is warranted, and our report would support this research.
