Synchronous double primary lung cancers with different response to pemetrexed

Abstract

We describe the case of a 74-year-old male patient with synchronous double primary lung cancers: adenocarcinoma in the right lower lobe and squamous cell carcinoma in the left upper lobe (LUL). These tumors were difficult to differentiate radiographically from a single metastatic primary cancer, but their eventual diagnoses were triggered by their responses to chemotherapy, which included pemetrexed. After two courses of chemotherapy with pemetrexed and carboplatin, the right lower lobe mass had partially resolved; however, the LUL mass had increased. When S-1 was used as fourth-line chemotherapy, the size of the LUL mass decreased. Pemetrexed is a potentially useful drug for treating nonsquamous cell carcinoma, but may not be appropriate in cases with a coexisting squamous cell carcinoma. Our experience with this interesting case leads us to propose that S-1 monotherapy may provide a treatment option in pemetrexed-refractory cases.