Postoperative concurrent chronomodulated 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin infusion and pelvic radiotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the ovary arising from mature cystic teratoma

Primary squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the ovary arising from mature cystic teratoma (MCT) is rare. Survival is very poor. Although different postoperative treatments have been tried, none appears to have influenced outcomes. A 44-year-old patient with FIGO stage IIB SCC of the ovary arising in MCT had exploratory laparotomy and left salpingo-oophorectomy, leaving macroscopic residual pelvic disease. Postoperative treatment consisted of a continuous concurrent chronomodulated infusion of 5-fluorouracil 150 mg/m(2)/day and leucovorin 10 mg/m(2)/day with 5 weeks of pelvic radiotherapy. Three years after initial surgery, she remains disease and complication free. Given this patient's unusually long disease-free survival and the efficacy of concurrent chemotherapy and radiotherapy in other SCCs, the concurrent circadian treatment approach used for this patient should be explored in other cases of SCC of the ovary.