Prolonged and Continuous Percutaneous Intra-Arterial Hepatic Infusion Chemotherapy in Advanced Metastatic Liver Adenocarcinoma from Colorectal Primary

Abstract

In the United States in 1982 123,000 new cases of colorectal cancer were estimated, with 57,000 deaths anticipated. At least 30,000 of these deaths will be caused by liver metastases, the only metastases present in 15,000 of these patients. In the cases where tumors are limited to the liver and supplied by one major artery, the hepatic artery, regional infusion chemotherapy would be desirable. Systemic chemotherapy with fluorouracil (5-FU) has had only about a 20% response rate for about 3–5 months without any increase in survival (Silverberg 1982). Radiotherapy has also been limited, and surgery is not suitable for bilateral disease. Over the past 10–15 years we have reported our experience with surgical placement of the catheter, with increases in response and survival (Cady and Oberfield 1972, 1974; Oberfield 1974; Sullivan and Zurek 1965; Watkins et al. 1970).