Multiple primary cancers: a case of successful treatment

Background. Due to advances in early detection and treatment, oncology patients live far longer; therefore, the diagnosis of multiple primary cancers is made more often. Materials and methods. In this report, we present a case of a female who developed primary ovarian carcinoma and colorectal cancer, breast carcinoma and cancer of ureter and who was treated successfully with a combined modality treatment during an eighteen-year period. Results. Long-term treatment results of multiple primary cancers are still unknown. Such cancers can occur because of the late sequence of treatment, the influence of lifestyle factors, environmental exposures, host factors, and combinations of these influences. The diagnosis of multiple cancers means that a patient will be treated with an aggressive combined anticancer treatment. Our patient received a combined anticancer treatment four times. Combined treatment allowed to cure ovarian, breast and rectal cancers in this patient. However, there is an open question whether such an aggressive treatment may be related to the occurrence of multiple cancers. It would be difficult to separate the long-term risk of multiple cancers associated with anticancer therapy from undefined genetic predisposition or co-carcinogenesis. Conclusions. 1. Combined treatment is the most efficacious treatment of malignant tumors. It did not cause severe long-term complications in this case. 2. No resistance to cytostatics developed due to administration of long-term chemotherapy. 3. The increasing rate of multiple primary cancers among successfully treated patients allows to maintain that a constant observation of patients treated for cancer is needed.