[Intra-arterial chemotherapy in the treatment of liver metastases of colorectal cancer]

AIM

The authors evaluate the value of hepatic intrarterial chemotherapy (HAC) as an alternative treatment for hepatic metastases from colo-rectum cancer unsuited to radical surgery.

METHODS

This study evaluates the physiopathological and pharmacodynamic bases for this type of treatment, the correct procedure for patient staging and selection, the surgical technique used to insert the infusional system, surgical complications and those linked to endoarterial treatment, the evaluation of response and the results. Complications correlated to the infusional system were evaluated in a total of 1223 patients in 10 non-randomised studies and 7 randomised studies taken from the literature. Complications correlated to chemotherapy were analysed in a total of 777 patients from 8 randomised studies and 7 randomised using FUDR. Special emphasis was placed on the possible association of locoregional and systemic treatment in order to prevent extrahepatic progression, the main cause of death in patients undergoing a single cycle of HAC.

RESULTS

By comparing locoregional and systemic treatment taken from a number of randomised and non-randomised studies, the results were evaluated in terms of objective response and survival.

CONCLUSIONS

There was no proportional increase in survival rates compared to systemic treatment only, in spite of the large proportion of objective responses achieved using locoregional treatment alone.

Bolus vs. continuous hepatic arterial infusion of cisplatin plus intravenous 5-fluorouracil chemotherapy for unresectable colorectal metastases

A multicenter, randomized Phase 2 study that compared patients, affected by colorectal liver metastases, who received intrahepatic arterial infusion with two different schedules of cisplatin, bolus vs. continuous infusion, and systemic 5-fluorouracil.

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to validate results of a previous Phase 2 trial on bolus cisplatin intrahepatic arterial infusion, which reported a 47 percent response rate and a 32 percent 4-year survival rate for Gennari's Stage 2 patients, with a high rate of neurologic, gastrointestinal, and hematologic toxicity.

METHODS

One hundred nine patients were randomized in a Phase 2 study to receive cisplatin intrahepatic arterial infusion (24 mg/m2/day, 1-->5, bolus vs. continuous infusion) and systemic intravenous 5-fluorouracil (250, 375, or 500 mg/m2/day, 1-->5; escalating doses, respectively, at cycles I, II, III, and VI). To avoid neurotoxicity a maximum of six cycles was administered.

RESULTS

Preliminary results for the 78 evaluable patients are similar to those of the previous study: response rate 46 percent and at a median follow-up of 16.5 months, the overall survival was 16.5 months, with 45 percent of the patients who received more than 3 cycles alive at 3 years. Toxicity, evaluable in 99 patients, showed a decreased incidence of neurotoxicity and a tolerable gastrointestinal and hematologic toxicity, lower in the cisplatin continuous infusion arm.

CONCLUSION

This study clearly shows that cisplatin intrahepatic arterial infusion is able to provide a good palliative effect with a tolerable toxicity.