Evaluation of the ligation of the hepatic artery and regional arterial chemotherapy in the treatment of primary and secondary cancer of the liver.

Ligation of the hepatic artery was carried out in 23 patients with primary and secondary cancer of the liver. The survival time correlated well with the amount of tumor tissue in the liver. Ligation of the hepatic artery prolonged the survival time of the operated patients when compared with the untreated group, and, in addition, yielded good palliation. In appropriate cases, the most promising result in the treatment of hepatic malignancies was achieved by liver resection two to four months after the initial ligation of the hepatic artery, whereas from our experiences the final value of regional arterial chemotherapy is still unsettled. Very promising results were achieved by ligation in the treatment of liver metastases from lymphosarcoma of the stomach, which responded especially well to this kind of therapy.