[A case of postoperative recurrent lung cancer with chronic renal failure and respiratory failure successfully treated with gefitinib].
We administered gefitinib to a patient after considering his request to be treated with the drug. Fortunately, he responded favorably to the treatment and did not show signs of serious adverse effects or deterioration of renal functions. The patient was a 69-year-old male who visited an outpatient clinic because of chronic renal failure and was diagnosed with primary lung cancer. He then underwent an operation for lung cancer, but because it had progressed to stage IV the lesion was not completely resected. The patient was unable to receive effective chemotherapy due to the prior chronic renal failure. During best support care, the patient suffered from respiratory failure due to the tumor growth, and his quality of life (QOL) deteriorated. The patient was administered 250 mg of gefitinib orally, which was effective in reducing the tumor, improving his QOL, and prolonging his survival time. With the lack of literature on administering gefitinib to patients with chronic renal failure and evidence supporting the effectiveness of this treatment, the physician in charge should obtain the patient's informed consent before initiating treatment using this anticancer drug.