Glivec Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Glivec, including details on gleevec, imatinib, cancer, treatment, side-effects.

Advanced pediatric inoperable thymus carcinoma (type C thymoma): case report on a novel therapeutic approach.

Kertesz GP, Hauser P, Varga P, Dabasi G, Schuler D, Garami M

2nd Department of Pediatrics, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary. gkertesz@yahoo.com

Although there has been considerable advancement in treatment techniques but still there are some illnesses that continue to exhibit a rather poor curability, such as thymoma. This report highlights the benefit of octreotide and prednisolone therapy in a 15-year-old girl, who was diagnosed with inoperable thymus carcinoma, with chemotherapy and radiotherapy being the last resort. The detection of type 2 somatostatin receptors on the surface of the tumor justified the introduction of treatment with somatostatin analog and prednisolone. Fortunately, after 6 months of this treatment, the tumor showed partial regression. However, 2 months later, somatostatin receptor negative metastases appeared; therefore, a switch over to imatinib became essential, because the tumor was CD-117 positive. Despite the therapy change, the patient's condition deteriorated owing to tumor progression.

Published 6 November 2007 in J Pediatr Hematol Oncol, 29(11): 774-5.
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