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KMID : 0363620180390040171
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Journal of Korean Oriental Medicine
2018 Volume.39 No. 4 p.171 ~ p.176
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Successful Outcome of an Elderly Patient with Small Cell Lung Cancer with only Alternative Treatments: A Case Report
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Lee Sang-Hun
Joo Jeong-Hyun
Chon Song-Ha
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Abstract
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Background: Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) tends to grow more rapidly and spread much faster than non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A concurrent combination of chemotherapy and thoracic radiotherapy is suggested as the standard conventional treatment, but it is more challenging for elderly patients having pulmonary and cardiovascular comorbidities.
Case presentation: Here we present a case of an 80-year-old male, current smoker diagnosed with SCLC in limited stage T3N0M0 (36mm right upper lobe, satellite nodule) in Dec, 2015. The standard concurrent chemoradiotherapy was not available for his comorbidities, which included chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and angina pectoris. Furthermore, he and his family refused the recommended chemotherapy or radiotherapy exclusively. Alternatively, he received various non-conventional treatments including local radiofrequency hyperthermia, mistletoe, and Traditional Korean medicine including acupuncture, moxibustion and herbs since Jan. 2016. Despite the progression in primary tumor size, there have been no other distant relapse so far, and the patient has been in stable condition ever since.
Conclusion: We suggest that a combination of various alternative treatments could be a candidate for elderly patients intolerable to conventional cytotoxic treatments.
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KEYWORD
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Small cell lung cancer, Elderly patients, Alternative therapy
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