Results of regional portal infusion of 5-fluorouracil in patients with primary and secondary liver cancer.

The survival of 47 patients with liver malignancies treated with continuous portal infusion of fluorouracil (5-FU) has been studied. 18 of them had been treated initially by hepatic artery ligation. Total mean survival was 9.4 months. Patients treated with hepatic artery ligation + 5-FU lived longer (mean 10.8 months) than those treated with 5-FU alone (7.4 months). The survival was longer than could be expected for patients treated for primary liver cancer or for liver metastases from colo-rectal cancer, when compared with the "untreated" group. It is concluded that continuous portal infusion of 5-FU appears to prolong survival in some groups of patients with malignant liver tumours. However, the influence of "unspecific, general" therapy is difficult to evaluate.