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. 2001 Aug;85(4):504–508. doi: 10.1054/bjoc.2001.1972

Liver metastases from colorectal cancer: regional intra-arterial treatment following failure of systemic chemotherapy

A Cyjon 1, M Neuman-Levin 2, E Rakowsky 1, F Greif 3, A Belinky 2, E Atar 2, R Hardoff 4, B Brenner 1, A Sulkes 1
PMCID: PMC2364094  PMID: 11506487

Abstract

This study was designed to determine response rate, survival and toxicity associated with combination chemotherapy delivered intra-arterially to liver in patients with hepatic metastases of colorectal origin refractory to standard systemic treatment. A total of 28 patients who failed prior systemic treatment with fluoropyrimidines received a median of 5 cycles of intra-arterial treatment consisting of 5-fluorouracil 700 mg/m2/d, leucovorin 120 mg/m2/d, and cisplatin 20 mg/m2/d for 5 consecutive days. Cycles were repeated at intervals of 5–6 weeks. A major response was achieved in 48% of patients: complete response in 8% and partial response in 40%. The median duration of response was 11.5 months. Median survival was 12 months at a median follow up of 12 months. On multivariate analysis, the only variables with a significant impact on survival were response to treatment and performance status. Toxicity was moderate: grades III–IV neutropenia occurred in 29% of patients. Most of the patients complained of fatigue lasting for a few days following each cycle. There were no cases of hepatobiliary toxicity. These findings indicate that regional intra-arterial treatment should be considered in selected patients with predominantly liver disease following failure of standard treatment. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign http://www.bjcancer.com

Keywords: colorectal cancer, liver metastases, regional intra-arterial

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Selected References

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