Remarkable Response to Cisplatin Doublet Chemotherapy in Pulmonary Metastasis With Left Atrial Extension From a Nasopharyngeal Cancer

Abstract

A 60-year-old male patient whose nasopharyngeal carcinoma was brought to complete remission with induction chemotherapy composing of cisplatin plus fluorouracil and subsequent radiotherapy with intent of cure eight years ago presented with dyspnea due to left side massive pleural effusion with pleural seedings, left lower lobe huge space occupying lesion, and left atrial tumor extending from the intrapulmonary lesion through left inferior pulmonary veins. Pleural biopsy revealed a picture of nonkeratinizing squamous cell carcinoma positive for Epstein-Barr virus-encoded small RNAs in situ hybridization, leading to a diagnosis of late pulmonary metastases from the antecedent nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Systemic chemotherapy with initial cisplatin plus paclitaxel and subsequent cisplatin plus gemcitabine brought remarkable resolution to the malignant cardiac and intrathoracic lesions. So far as we know, this is the first case report of left atrial invasion from pulmonary metastasis of a nasopharyngeal carcinoma origin in the English literature.