Intraaterial hepatic infusion and intravenous adriamycin for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma: a clinical and pharmacology report.

Four patients received intraarterial (ia) hepatic infusion and 10 received intravenous (iv) adriamycin for hepatocellular carcinoma. Four of each group are evaluable. The remaining 6 patients died within 14 days of intravenous therapy and are, therefore, considered nonevaluable. Patients received 2 to 9 courses of adriamycin every 3 weeks. One half of each group of evaluable patients had partial responses (pr). The group had pr for 22.5 weeks (range 8 to 37). The iv group had pr 27.2 weeks (range: 16 to 38.5). Mean survival was 21 weeks for nonresponders, and 43 weeks for responders. Intraarterial infusion did not protect patients from adriamycin toxicity. Cardiac and liver toxicity were not seen, but marrow and gastrointestinal toxicity developed at 1.2 X 10(-7)M adriamycin serum level. Adriamycin disappearance curves after ia and iv therapy were similar for similar bilirubin levels, and prolonged with hyperbilirubinemia. Ascites fluid did not accumulate detectable adriamycin. Pharmacokinetics are described in this report.