A case of left main bronchus obstruction due to recurrent esophageal cancer successfully treated by Nd-YAG laser followed by radiotherapy, low-dose CDDP and continuous infusion of 5-FU

A 63-year-old female patient with obstruction of left main bronchus due to recurrent esophageal cancer was treated by emergency Nd-YAG laser therapy under bronchoscopy. Severe dyspnea subsided dramatically and she was the given radiotherapy with a total dose of 50 Gy (2 Gy/f and 25 f/5 wks). Concurrent chemotherapy was performed at the 3rd week of radiation therapy. In this chemotherapy of CDDP plus 5-FU, CDDP (10 mg/day) was given for 5 days by intravenous and 5-FU (500 mg/day) for 5 days by continuous infusion the same week. By this treatment, a partial response (PR) was obtained, and the patient returned to normal life. But after 4 months, she had a recurrent lesion at the same place, and underwent only palliative laser therapy. Nd-YAG laser therapy for obstructive lesion of trachea due to recurrent cancer is the most useful one, but some subsequent treatment is required.