Reduction in Circulating Tumor Cell Count following Therapy with nab(®)-Paclitaxel plus Carboplatin in a Patient with Leptomeningeal Carcinomatosis from Breast Cancer

This case study reports on a 56-year-old woman with breast adenocarcinoma and leptomeningeal metastases. After initial chemotherapy with a dose-dense regimen of doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide followed by 3 cycles of docetaxel (100 mg/m(2)), a lumpectomy was performed that revealed invasive ductal carcinoma with lymph node involvement. Because of the extent of the disease, she underwent a mastectomy. Two months after the completion of initial chemotherapy, leptomeningeal metastases were detected on December 13, 2006. After completion of whole-brain radiation therapy, she received systemic chemotherapy with a novel albumin-bound 130-nm formulation of paclitaxel (nab®-paclitaxel) at 100 mg/m(2) combined with carboplatin AUC = 6, both given weekly. Clinical response was prompt, with a reduction in the circulating tumor cell (CTC) count from 63 before treatment to 2 after the first treatment cycle. While undergoing treatment with nab-paclitaxel plus carboplatin, she reported an improvement in neurologic symptoms, including a decrease in headaches, improved cognition and balance, and an overall improved quality of life. Before the third treatment cycle, she had a CTC count of 2. Without treatment, the median survival of patients diagnosed with leptomeningeal metastases is 4–6 weeks. However, this patient survived for 4 months after the diagnosis of leptomeningeal carcinomatosis. Treatment was discontinued because of complications of urosepsis, and the patient died on April 7, 2007. Our case shows that additional treatment with weekly nab-paclitaxel combined with carboplatin (AUC6) can prolong life for some patients with leptomeningeal carcinomatosis from breast cancer.