[The efficacy of intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy in patients with metastatic liver tumors].

The efficacy of intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy for the treatment of liver metastasis was investigated in 28 colorectal cancer patients, 3 gastric cancer patients and 5 breast cancer patients between April 1986 and May 1991. 1. The long-term intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy was a simple and safe method in cancer patients. 2. We examined the serial serum CEA level in cancer patients and found that the serial change in CEA level correlated well with response to chemotherapy. The efficacy of this treatment was approximately 60% in colorectal cancer, 30% in gastric cancer, 80% in breast cancer. Intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy may be an effective treatment for the patients with liver metastasis from colorectal cancers and breast cancers. 3. In 8 colorectal cancer patients, the serum CEA level decrease to half of the pretreatment level. However, in all cases it increased significantly within 6 months postoperatively. Almost the same trend was observed in two cases of breast cancer. Our results suggest that we should give careful consideration to the resistance to anti-cancer drugs and develop a new protocol in order to obtain further satisfactory results.