HEPATIC ARTERIAL INFUSION CHEMOTHERAPY FOR LIVER METASTASIS

• Published in: Kita Kantō igaku (The Kitakanto Medical Journal) Vol. 50; no. 2; pp. 111 - 115
• Main Authors: Ishizaki, Masatoshi, Akiyama, Norio, Tanaka, Shigebumi, Motegi, Masahiko, Sasamoto, Hajime, Osawa, Hidenobu, Wada, Wataru, Nakajima, Masanobu, Iijima, Toshihide, Nemoto, Masaaki, Kogure, Kimitaka
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: The Kitakanto Medical Society 2000
• Subjects: Arterial infusion chemotherapy; Liver metastasis; Reservoir
• ISSN: 1343-2826; 1881-1191
• DOI: 10.2974/kmj.50.111

We clinically examined 56 patients with metastatic liver cancer who received hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy via a reservoir at the Department of Surgery, Public Fujioka General Hospital between January 1989 and March 1999. There were 28 males and 28 females. Patient ages ranged from 40 to 83 years, with a mean of 64.1 years. Primary cancers consisted of colorectal cancer in 34 patients, gastric cancer in 8 patients, gallbladder cancer in 4 patients, breast cancer in 4 patients, leiomyosarcoma in 2 patients, pancreatic cancer in 1 patient, bile duct cancer in 1 patient, ampullary carcinoma in 1 patient and ovarian cancer in 1 patient. Thirty-one patients had simultaneous lesions, while 25 patients had metachronal lesions. A catheter was inserted under laparotomy in 25 patients. A catheter was percutaneously inserted through the femoral artery in 31 patients. Agents included 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), epirubicin hydrochloride (EPI) and mitomycin-C (MMC). There were no serious complications. In 42 patients who received hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy excluding patients who underwent surgery for metastatic liver cancer and patients who died of other diseases, the mean survival was 421.1 days. When response was evaluated, complete response (CR) was achieved in 3 patients, partial response (PR) in 12 patients, no change (NC) in 11 patients and progressive disease (PD) in 16 patients. The response rate was 35.7%. One-year, 2-year and 3-year cumulative survival rates were 59%, 23% and 8%, respectively. These percentages in the hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy group were higher than cumulative survival rates in the systemic chemotherapy group and the untreated group. Therefore, hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy may prolong survival.